Holmcross Project Deep
by strange writer
Summary: An endgame has been reached in the struggle between good and evil--Humanity and Demonhood. Fate is a cruel, cruel woman, taking away so suddenly that which you cherish. And as sure as she is blind to emotion, loss is indeed hard to accept...
1. Beginnings

Holmcross Project Deep  
------by strange writer  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It couldn't see. It couldn't speak. It couldn't even move or feel. But it could hear. As it laid there on the cold steel table, two men talked about what it could do and how it could function. With darkness completely enveloping it, it silently listened...  
  
"...Is he functioning?" The voice was tense and hoarse, like an old man's.  
  
"No, not yet. We need more Bio-Prism."  
  
"What do you mean? Didn't we have enough to begin with?"  
  
"I thought we had. Turns out it absorbed more then I thought."  
  
"How much? Is he that powerful?"  
  
"Seems so. It has advanced capabilities, far greater than any I've seen before."  
  
"How is he that powerful? Explain!"  
  
"I'm not sure. We have to give it time. He is a killing machine, as you know."  
  
"Time? How much time? We need to finish him once and for all! Or else he~~"  
  
"Quiet! I know! It's just that I need more Bio-Prism. We can't move forward without it!"  
  
"...Do you know where we could find some more?"  
  
"...I don't know...I heard there was some near the ice fields of Arctica..."  
  
"That's too far! I mean near here! Is there any around this region?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"...I'm not sure. It's either that or I have to return to my world to~~"  
  
"No! Don't you dare bail out on me now!"  
  
"Well, it's a failed experiment if we don't have more Bio-Prism. We should destroy it."  
  
"W-What do you mean..."  
  
"It's a failure. A shell of a superior fighting machine."  
  
"It's my son, you goddamned fool! He is not a failure!"  
  
"So you say. But can you make it work without me?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Ah, exactly as I thought. So, you will build it without Bio-Prism."  
  
"...If I have to, yes."  
  
"Really? You think you can do it?"  
  
"Yes. I know I can find a way. Just give me assistance. Please."  
  
"...No."  
  
"What? You're giving up now?"  
  
"...Yes and no. I'll support you from the other world, but you will continue without me."  
  
"Fine. Go and hide, you coward! You're responsible for the rest of your life!"  
  
"Okay. See ya."  
  
The thin man with elongated, furry ears walked toward the door with a laugh. "You'll regret this. It will be incomplete. It won't have any emotion or feeling. It will be devoid of all feeling. Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Okay. It's your funeral....ha-ha-ha." He closed the door as he exited the room.  
  
The wrinkled old man left behind stood over the table observing it in stasis. He then kneeled and prayed for it to survive and to be fully functional. "Please, God...let my son be human. Let him be free to do whatever he wants. That fool Vassim can't understand my love for my son. But he is my son. My loyal, perfect, blue-haired son...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Princess Cecilia? Princess Cecilia, are you in here?" The young soldier carefully peered into the room, trying his best not to embarrass himself or the princess. He partially saw a short-haired female wearing a green vest and gloves sitting in front of a mirror combing her hair. "Princess Cecilia.", he said as he walked up behind her. "You have a visitor. Do you wish to see him now?"  
  
"My hair...I know I wanted to distance myself from the past, but..."  
  
"...Princess Cecilia?"  
  
"Oh, It's nothing." Cecilia shrugged it off and got up to face the guard. "Who is it?"  
  
"A Jack Van Burace has come to see you."  
  
"Yes, let him in. He gracefully opened the door for the waiting visitor, allowing him to step into her private chambers. In came Jack Van Burace, the mysterious treasure hunter who volunteered to assist the kingdom of Aldehyde by aiding the princess on her journey to meet the Guardians. With long, flowing brown and blonde hair, a dark brown trench coat and a courageous attitude about him, he seemed just the man to take on this important job. He walked over to her, sporting a cocky grin. "Well well, my Royal Highness! Don't you make quite the common-looking woman! If I'd never met you, I'd say you weren't regal at all!" He got on one knee, mockingly pretending to be one of her eager and willing subjects. "Oh, stop that, you!", Cecilia joked. She motioned for the waiting guard to leave so they could talk alone. Jack got up and questioned her about the upcoming journey. "Princess~~I mean, Cecilia...are you sure you want to do this? I mean, it could get dangerous for you."  
  
"I am fine, Jack.", the girl kindly countered. "This is something I need to do. The women of the Aldehyde family must take on the important role of the Guardians' interpreter. As 'the Innocent One', I must complete my task at hand and listen to the will of the Guardians to protect this world from the evil forces that threaten us." She walked back over to the table and sat down, resuming combing her hair out. She didn't look at Jack as she kept on talking. "So, Mister Sensitivity! Why are you really helping me? You don't sound like someone who would be concerned about the affairs or the ordeals of royalty!"  
  
"Well, I~~"  
  
"Mmm-hmm. 'Well you' what?"  
  
Jack walked up behind her. "I was going to say that I am generally concerned about you."  
  
She looked up at him from below. "Oh really? A change of heart so suddenly...?"  
  
"Something like that. Hey listen..." Jack was now making a concerted effort to change the topic of conversation. "Have you seen Hanpan anywhere around here? He escaped, and he may be having a field day in the castle." Cecilia smiled, knowing what he was doing. "Changing pace so soon?" Jack began to blush. "No, Jack...I haven't seen Hanpan anywhere in the castle. I'm sure he's just fine though. He's a grown-up wind mouse. He can take care of himself." Cecilia stood up again from her desk. "Speaking of mischievous blue companions, where is our quiet friend Rudy at?"  
  
"He said he didn't want to come with me to see you...so I left him in town."  
  
"What? How could you just leave him there? Don't you care about him?"  
  
"Well, yes. But I think he just needs time alone. To think things over. You know."  
  
"Do I?"  
  
"You should."  
  
"Well...maybe you're right." Cecilia started towards the door, then turned around again. "There's just one thing, though. Something that really bothers me. Jack, do you think you could tell me about your past? I mean, you're all secretive about where you come from and all. Is it that uninteresting or something?" Jack cocked an eyebrow at her question. "Uninteresting? It's not that, exactly. I just don't feel like talking about it. That's all." He went to exit the room. "Cecilia...someday, I'll tell you. But for now we should go see Minister Johan and plan our next move to contact the Guardians of Filgaia." With that, the man quickly left the room. Cecilia stood there for a moment, then left the room to see the late king's advisor. "Did I offend him...?", she pondered as she left.  
  
The throne room of Aldehyde Castle was made up of brick and granite, with the walls adorned with golden candle holders and paintings of the late king and his family. Large, steel suits of plated armor decorated the floor, along with midnight-blue carpeting. Standing beside the empty throne was the elderly and wise Minister Johan, King Aldehyde's trusted friend and advisor. He waited patiently for the King's daughter to arrive so he could start the meeting telling her where to go first. A soldier in gold armor walked into the room. "Minister Johan, Her Majesty Princess Cecilia Aldehyde has arrived."  
  
"Good. Let her in, please."  
  
The soldier stepped aside and bowed, paying proper respect to the princess. She entered, with Jack following right behind her. "I have arrived, Johan.", she announced. "What information do you have to aid me in my quest?" The minister paced back and forth in front of her. "Princess, you know how I hate to see you go. Are you absolutely sure you want to leave? You could let Jack and Rudy take care of this."  
  
"I must do this, Johan. I am not in any shape to run the kingdom right now."  
  
"You could do it with my assistance, though."  
  
"I know...but this is more important to me. I must see the Guardians for myself."  
  
"Very well. So is your will, so it shall be." Johan backed away and began to explain the situation of the city. "When the sky crumbled into pieces, shattering Aldehyde's peace and solitude, it brought destruction and chaos to this land. Innocent men, women and children suffered and died at the peak of this unfathomable and horrific onslaught. Monsters invaded and desecrated the town. They also destroyed the sacred statue of our faith guardian, the guardian of stability, Zeldukes. It seems as Zeldukes' power faded as the statue was destroyed, the town and its citizens became even more susceptible to the monsters' attacks." Cecilia and Jack hung their heads as Johan kept on talking. "Right now the citizens desire the peace and prosperity that they formerly enjoyed before this whole ordeal even occurred. But that is not possible...at least not without the Tear Drop." Cecilia raised her head quickly at the mention of her mother's heirloom. "Cecilia, you must contact the ancient guardians of Filgaia, or all hope is lost for this world. Do not let them keep the Tear Drop..."  
  
"Yes, Johan. For my mother and father, I will reclaim the Tear Drop."  
  
"Very well." Johan motioned Jack to step forward. "Your name is...Jack Van Burace? Representing the inhabitants of Aldehyde, I sincerely appreciate what you have done for the princess. However, your work is not complete. If I may ask, would you kindly accompany Princess Cecilia to meet the Guardians? She may not admit it yet, but she cannot possibly hope to partake on this journey alone."  
  
"Don't worry. I planned on helping her out all along."  
  
"Thank you. Your deeds will not go unnoticed." Johan returned to the side of the throne, but not before asking another question. "Hold! Wasn't there someone else who aided the princess at the time of the attack? As I recall, he was with you, swordsman."  
  
"Rudy? Well, he's not here right now. But he was going with us too."  
  
"I see. Please inform him of how grateful I am to him as well."  
  
"Certainly, minister."  
  
"Johan cleared his throat and continued the meeting. "Well, let us continue. It seems the creature you fought at the time of the attack was the one who orchestrated the entire assault. He is the one who has the Tear Drop, I believe. If you find him, you can certainly get it back..." Jack corrected him. "Minister, I don't think he has the Tear Drop anymore. Yes, he was the one who led the monster forces into the city. But Cecilia and I have concluded that there is someone much more evil running the show behind the scenes. Pardon my dissent councilor, but that big green goblin looked too stupid to be the one to order the attack." Johan countered with interest. "Really? Are you absolutely sure that it wasn't the one who masterminded this attack? I'd be careful not to underestimate your enemies." Jack took that as a point well taken. "I suppose you're right...but I honestly think there's someone else behind all of this. Maybe on our journey we will meet this power."  
  
"I can accept that.", the old man concluded. "...I suppose this ends the briefing on the situation here. Since you know your mission, I have no need to speak any further. Mayor Cuthburt has asked to see Her Majesty before she departed. Remember, head southwest towards the city of Milama. There you will find an ancient shrine rumored used in previous times to summon guardians." Cecilia and Jack showed proper respect before they left.  
  
The two stood at the front entrance of Aldehyde Castle. Repairs to the castle itself were being done on the gargoyles and the statues in the front. As Jack was about to leave, Cecilia stopped him. "Jack, wait!" The blonde swordsman turned around. "Hmm? What is it?"  
  
"Um...didn't you want to find Hanpan?"  
  
"I think I already know who he's with."  
  
"Oh, he stayed with Rudy?"  
  
"I think."  
  
"Well, that's great. Where are those two anyway?" Cecilia heard a chipping noise above her. She looked up to find a carpenter fixing one of the gargoyle heads. "Hello, Mister Carpenter! How are the repairs going?"  
  
The carpenter was a balding man with a thick mustache and an overlapping belly. Despite his size, he was quite able to maneuver the walls of the castle with ease. "Oh, hello Princess! Just fixing some of the adornments of the castle. Things are fine!"  
  
"How long will it be before it's all finished."  
  
"Hard to say. Maybe 3 months before it looks like it did before. Maybe not that long."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Well, let me get back to work."  
  
"Okay. Bye, Mister Carpenter!" Cecilia waved and left along with Jack to the town of Aldehyde.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
On the outskirts of the kingdom, a young man sat on the beach, watching the waves crash onto the jagged rocks. His short blue hair flying all around as the light wind of the ocean, he gazed on with his ocean-blue eyes at wave after endless wave of tossing and turning water. His thoughts raced and leaped as each passing crash of water rushed toward him. His thoughts were uncontrollable, as bits and pieces of his origins and his past came rushing back to him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
An old man and a young child sit under a tree on the side of a pass. As they enjoy their lunch, the old man begins to ask the child questions.  
  
"My son...my darling Rudy. You are perfect in every way." It was an old man's voice.  
  
"Perfect?" The child could not understand.  
  
"Yes...you are my child. No one will ever tell you otherwise."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Rudy...do you know what you really are?"  
  
"Perfect!"  
  
"Ha-ha-ha! That's right! But I didn't mean that!"  
  
"I'm human. You said so."  
  
"Yes, you are human. You are my little human child."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Rudy...do you have dreams at night?"  
  
"I have dreams, father."  
  
"Tell me what they are about."  
  
"Well, they are hard to talk about. I can't remember."  
  
"Can you try for me? Please?"  
  
"Let me try to remember."  
  
The small blue-haired child began to explain to the elderly man what his dreams were about. "Father, I can't see anything in my dreams. It's really dark and scary. But I can hear strange men talking about things.  
  
"About what, my son?"  
  
"About...things."  
  
"Do you remember what things?"  
  
"I think...they're talking about me."  
  
"About you?"  
  
"Yes. They say that I'm advanced."  
  
"Advanced?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What else do they say?"  
  
"...They tell me I'm advanced and that I will kill people."  
  
"Kill? These people in your dreams say that?"  
  
"Yes. Father, I don't want to kill people."  
  
"You won't my son. I won't let anything happen to you."  
  
"...Father?"  
  
"Yes, my son?"  
  
The child began to explain in detail more of his dreams that he unearthed from the bottom of his memory. "Father, I remember...seeing something. I saw three strange looking men." The old man looked at him with a curious face. "Rudy, what do you see in those dreams?" The boy continued. "Father, I see two men. They are standing over me in white coats. One has what looks like large, furry ears. They call me 'advanced'. They also call me a 'killing machine'."  
  
"R-Really? You saw...this?" The old man was getting visibly nervous.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"..."  
  
"Father...do you believe me?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Father? Is something the matter?"  
  
"Yes. I believe you. I'm sorry, Rudy. Please continue."  
  
"Okay. I also saw something else. A word on a large tube."  
  
"A large tube? What does it look like?"  
  
"It's long and made of glass. And it has a strange, blue liquid inside of it."  
  
"Blue liquid?"   
  
"Yes, father. And there's a word I don't understand on it."  
  
"Can you pronounce the word?"  
  
"No. I have tried numerous times, but I can't say it. But I can write it down."  
  
The boy wrote down the foreign word on a napkin for his father. He then gave the napkin to him. What the man saw on it made him begin to cry. It had the word 'bio-prism' scribbled on it.  
  
"Father? What is wrong?  
  
"N...no...it can't be!"  
  
"Father?"  
  
"My son...are you positive you saw this in your dreams?"  
  
"Yes, father. Is that a bad word?"  
  
"...No. It's okay. I'm just...surprised."  
  
"Okay."  
  
The man sat there with his son for a minute in silence, then began to pack up the rest of their lunch. "Rudy, we should be getting home. It is getting quite late." The boy stood up with his father, helping him to carry the picnic basket. As they began to walk home, the boy asked his father a question.  
  
"Father, is it okay for the other kids to tease me?"  
  
The elderly man looked down at the boy. "Do the other kids tease you?"  
  
"Yes. They tell me I'm not human."  
  
"Do not listen to then. You are human."  
  
"I don't know. Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, you are! Those kids are just jealous of you. They want to hurt your feelings."  
  
"I lifted a big box today. The others tell me that I must be a monster."  
  
"You are not a monster. You have feelings."  
  
"...Feelings?"  
  
"Yes." The old man took the picnic basket from the boy. "Rudy, you do have feelings, and you are human. And nothing will change that." The old man then stopped walking. "Rudy...promise me. Promise me that in the future, if you discover a part of yourself you do not understand, you will do what your feelings tell you is right. You must. All right?"  
  
"Yes, father."  
  
The old man and the young boy returned to their home at the base of the mountains, surrounded by forest.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Rudy! Rudy! Can you hear me, Rudy?" The young man snapped to attention and saw a small creature pulling on his vest. "Rudy, are you all right? It's getting dark. Shouldn't we be getting back to the others? They're probably worried about you!"  
  
"Hanpan..."  
  
"Come on! Let's go!" The small wind mouse scurried off the beach, northward toward Aldehyde. Rudy saw him off, then turned back toward the ocean.  
  
"The sea...the deep blue sea. Father, I want to see you in the sea."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
About two hours later, Jack and Cecilia arrived at Mayor Cuthburt's house. He talked briefly to them about her mission and about the guardians, especially the kingdom's faith guardian of stability and strength, Zeldukes. "We no longer have the power of Zeldukes to protect us...", the old man woefully said. "And my citizens are devastated and horrified at the collapse of the sky and the emergence of such powerful monsters. Princess Cecilia, we desperately need your wisdom and charisma in dire times such as this. If you would stay in the kingdom, I along with the rest of the people would feel somewhat safe. However, if you wish to go, we will not hold it against you."  
  
Cecilia stepped forward and took the Mayor's hand into hers. "Please, Mayor...I'm not doing this for my own gain or anything. This is something I must do for the world. To retrieve the Tear Drop would be to snatch the very plans of evil from the grip of the monsters. This peace will not last until I contact the Guardians and gain their powers." She stepped backward and turned around, her back to him. "As for Zeldukes...we can protect ourselves. The Guardians' purpose is not to protect us humans, but to protect Filgaia itself. If the world is in peril, then they will lend us their powers."  
  
"I...I see. You have a point."  
  
"I just don't want to use their powers frivolously."  
  
"Forgive me, Princess. I never meant to say that you would abuse their powers for us."  
  
"It's fine. There is no harm done."  
  
After an awkward silence, the Mayor cleared his throat and continued his little meeting. "As I said, the people of this kingdom are stunned at the sheer power of the monsters. There is little we could do ourselves if we were attacked again, so that is why we understand if you wish to go." The mayor went to retrieve two stone slabs off of the shelf behind him. He walked over and gave them to Cecilia. "I know this is not much, but it is all I could come up with to aid you on your journey. Please, accept these Crest Graphs as a sign of good faith and luck from us to you." Cecilia accepted the sheets with a smile. "Thank you, sir. I will not disappoint you or the city." Cecilia and Jack waved, parting ways with the Mayor as they left his home.  
  
Outside, they both started to talk to each other about what to do when they arrived at Milama when Hanpan came running up to them.  
  
"Princess! Jack! I found Rudy!"  
  
Jack extended his arm, letting the furry blue critter jump on. "Jack, I followed Rudy. He went to the beach south of here." The man and woman looked at each other, wondering why he would leave and not tell them.   
  
"The beach? Why is he all the way out there?", Jack asked.  
  
"I don't know. But he looks really depressed. I think there's something on his mind..."  
  
Cecilia interrupted, getting into Hanpan's face. "Depressed?"  
  
"Yeah. I think you should go and talk to him. He wont listen to me, that's for sure..."  
  
Cecilia ran off toward the city gates, leaving Jack and his pint-sized companion behind. "Hey, wait! Princess!" He ran after her out of the city."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rudy stood ankle-deep in the shifting tide with his pant legs rolled up. The cool feeling as the sea water washed over his legs and feet sent tingly feelings all through his body. This also brought back more fragmented memories about his father...  
  
"No! Father! Please don't die! I'll make you feel better!"  
  
"I'm...sorry. There is no cure for my sickness. And I haven't long to live."  
  
"I can find a cure! Please, just wait a little longer. I will make you survive!"  
  
The old man could barely speak through the horrible coughing fits. "My son..."  
  
The young Rudy held his dying father's head in his arms. "Don't die. I'll be so sad."  
  
"Death is a part of life, my son." The old man coughed up some blood. "It's...natural."  
  
Rudy wiped his mouth off with a rag that was sitting nearby. "But I don't want you to die. Because I know. I know what I really am."  
  
"Rudy...you are wise. And old enough to know the truth."  
  
"I already know, father. Please, save your strength and don't speak anymore."  
  
"Rudy...how I wish I could have taken you to see the world."  
  
"I'll see the world for you, father. If that is what you wish."  
  
"I...I wish I could be with you forever. But I shall pass on very soon."  
  
"Don't die. I won't let you."  
  
"Let me impart...some of my knowledge onto you." The old man barely managed to turn his head. He was sweating profusely, growing paler by each passing second. "Remember...how I told you to follow your feelings? You must do this. If you lie to yourself, you will be miserable, like I was." Rudy cried as he looked down into his father's sickly face. "I know you lied to me. But I don't blame you. You were afraid of the truth, just like I am right now. That's why I need you now."  
  
"You don't...need me. You're a man now. You're old enough to make your own choices."  
  
"But what if I stumble?"  
  
"That is also a part of life. Nothing is perfect, and life isn't foolproof."  
  
"Then..."  
  
"You just have to get right up, dust off your feet and jump back in. Into the sea."  
  
"Into the sea..."  
  
His father grew weaker with each passing moment. He knew his death was imminent, but he was not afraid. He actually began to smile. "You are my pride...and my joy." Rudy hugged him tight, wishing that he would never leave him. "My son...my prodigy Holmcross. Live for the day, always. Follow your heart and your feelings. And most importantly...do what you feel is right in your heart." The old man shed a tear, then went limp. He had finally died. Right in his son's arms.  
  
"Nooooooooo! Father!" Rudy held his body tightly in his arms. "Dad...Zepet..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nightfall had arrived when the two finally got to the beach. The moon loomed high in the star-checkered sky as Cecilia and Jack approached the end of the beach where Rudy was silently standing in the rising and ebbing tide. He had his portable cannon in his arm, silently stroking it. Jack moved forward, but she quietly motioned for him to wait there. She slowly walked up behind the solemn lad, trying not to shock him or let him know she was there. It seemed he was unaware that his allies were in his presence. The moon shone brightly on the relatively calm waters as she approached to speak to him.  
  
"...Rudy?"  
  
"I'm not human."  
  
Cecilia looked strangely at him when he said this, because she did not know what he had meant. He hadn't turned around yet to look at her.  
  
"What are you saying, Rudy?"  
  
"I'm not human. I'm not like you."  
  
"Not like me? Why?"  
  
"I don't know. It's just a dream I had."  
  
She stepped up and grabbed his shoulder, and he whipped around to face her. Tears were streaming down his face. It was then that she noticed his clothing was soaked.  
  
"Were you in the water?"  
  
"Yes. With my father."  
  
"Your...father?"  
  
"Yes. He is in the sea."  
  
"..."  
  
Rudy put his cannon down and embraced Cecilia. She didn't expect him to act this way all of a sudden, but she didn't resist either. She just let him release all of his feelings. It was a shock, especially since Rudy never really had any physical or emotional outburst with anyone.  
  
"Rudy, I~~"  
  
He interrupted by placing a finger to her lips. "Shh...you don't have to say anything."  
  
Rudy motioned for Jack to come over. The three stood in a circle, looking at each other in silence. It was very strange for them, but Rudy took the initiative. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone. But I just needed time to think." Jack spoke up to answer him.  
  
"It's all right, I guess. But if Hanpan hadn't come, we probably wouldn't have found you."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry."  
  
Cecilia joined in. "What were you saying about your father?"  
  
"He is in the sea. He's dead, but I know he's there."  
  
"Are you sure?" Cecilia wasn't sure if he quite believed him. It sounded like nonsense.  
  
"Yes. You probably think I'm crazy, but it's true. He's there."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Rudy apologized again and asked the Princess how the meeting with Minister Johan went. "What did he say? Does he support you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, when did you plan on leaving?"  
  
"I'm not sure. Maybe in a couple of days. I still need time to get it together."  
  
Jack burst in with words of his own. "Yeah, that's right. We got new information."  
  
"Really? What is it about?", Rudy asked.  
  
"We need to go to Milama first. There, we will head to the Guardian Shrine."  
  
"I understand."  
  
"Well...", Cecilia sighed. "Shall we go back to the castle. It's sort of cold out here."  
  
"Yep. Let's go, Hanpan.", Jack replied.  
  
The two began to walk back, but Rudy stayed put. They turned around, wondering why he didn't follow them. "Rudy?", the woman asked. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" He replied by saying, "Yes. But I cannot go with you."  
  
"What?" Cecilia, Jack and Hanpan replied simultaneously, all shocked.  
  
"I...I just can't You will have to do it by yourselves. I'm really sorry."  
  
"But Rudy~~", Cecilia whined.  
  
"Please. I cannot do this. I have to follow my heart."  
  
"Your heart? What are you saying?"  
  
"I must find my father. He is in the sea."  
  
As Jack and Cecilia called out for him, Rudy started to walk toward the tide again. But this time, he didn't stop. With every step he took further in to the moonlit ocean, his convictions became that much more powerful and absolute. This was his dream and his purpose. To seek out what was so cruelly and fatefully ripped away from him during the tumultuous times of his youth. He could not stop, nor did he wish to stop. With the night gust picking up as more of his body became enveloped by the cool waters, he smiled at his destiny. He stopped and turned around, only to say one thing to his comrades.  
  
"I'm going home. Goodbye Cecilia...Jack, and Hanpan. I'm finally happy. I no longer am required to be just another fighting machine..."  
  
The two ran to the end of the beach, desperately hoping they could stop him before he went in too deep. But it was too late. Rudy Roughnight had already been engulfed by the sea. Cecilia dropped to her knees and started to sob, realizing that it was too late to catch him. Jack kneeled as well, consoling the distraught woman. Even Hanpan shed a tear at the loss of one of his friends. As a few moments passed, she noticed something shiny laying on the ground in the tide. She stood up and walked over to it. It was the cannon that Rudy left behind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rudy's thoughts raced as he walked on the bottom of the seabed. Passing large sea creatures and fish, the lad had a conversation with his father. He truly was in the sea.  
  
"Father, are you mad at me?"  
  
"No, my son. You followed your heart, just like I told you to." A voice whispered.  
  
"Am I dead?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good, then. I won't have to fight any longer."  
  
"You won't, my son. No one will ever try to use you as a killing machine ever again."  
  
"But I do feel guilty for leaving my friends behind..."  
  
"Like I said, like is not foolproof. You can't make everyone happy. Just please yourself."  
  
"Thank you, father..."  
  
Rudy smiled again, thinking of his father's kindly voice as he walked toward his place of birth...his home, the Epitaph Of The Sea.  



	2. The One That Looms In Darkness

Holmcross Project Deep: The One That Looms In Darkness  
  
  
  
  
  
It had been nearly a month since that fateful and unforgettable night that Cecilia, Jack and Hanpan lost their beloved friend and ally. Neither of the three could figure out what exactly he meant by 'not being human', or being a 'killing machine'. The others believed him to be a gentle and good-natured man, if anything. To go out of his way to help a village in need was not a trait that a 'killing machine' exhibited, they concluded. But it still nagged at them. What about his past, if any, would depress him so much that he would walk directly into the ocean to suffer a cold and dreadful demise? What could drive any person to give their very being up in a manner such as this? After it happened, theories and questions racked their minds about 'why'. Why did he purposefully forfeit himself to the sea? If only they knew about his origins...about the very fabric that young man was carved out of. If they only knew he was a Holmcross...  
  
But they would never know now. He was dead. Gone to the bottom of the sea.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Princess Cecilia and Jack Van Burace had undergone the Trials Of Past in the Guardian Shrine and acquired the powers of Gurdijeff, Fengalon, Moa Gault and Stoldark, the four Chieftain Guardians of Past. Stoldark acted as the trigger of destiny in the girl's life. She had already gained the faith and trust of the mighty water Guardian when she saved her from the wretched confines of the monster Nelgaul's twisted prison inside of a cursed book. That is when she learned of her fate, and how she had to proceed to the Guardian Shrine to undergo the trials. It was not easy, however, as the remaining three were quite skeptical of how the Innocent One could crush the evil now, especially without the Tear Drop in her possession. The Tear Drop was not only the national treasure of Aldehyde, but a well-cherished family heirloom passed down through each generation of female members of the royal family. An ordinary jewel to some, but the inner strength that it housed was beyond the comprehension of many. Able to purify even the darkest of evils, this tool was the source of power that the Guardians took their nourishment from, and which they gave to Filgaia to maintain light and harmony. But now their very core was being dirtied and corrupted at the hands of darkness. And each Guardian felt their power slipping as the world slowly drifted into death. So to test the mettle of the Innocent One and her consort, they both underwent the Trials Of Past. And then...  
  
"Please, lend us your strength to save Filgaia!", Cecilia begged. "There is still hope left!"  
  
"Is there?", Moa Gault countered. "Do you know why we are getting weaker, girl?"  
  
"Our strength...our powers are fading into the hands of evil.", Fengalon stated.  
  
"Innocent One, we want to give you our powers." Gurdijeff said. "You must be strong."  
  
"I am strong! What do you mean, Gurdijeff? I want to help the world and its inhabitants."  
  
"Want is not enough, young sorceress. You must 'need' to help Filgaia."  
  
"But...I do! That's why~~"  
  
Moa Gault interrupted. "Foolish girl! You still fail to see our point! Darkness comes!"  
  
Fengalon responded. "Moa Gault, there is no need to be this harsh with the girl."  
  
"Our survival is at stake, Brother Fengalon! Can this weak girl and her man save Filgaia?"  
  
"I sense she wants desperately to help. Maybe her convictions are true as light."  
  
"Maybe so. But if she is weak and desperate, she will stumble easily!"  
  
"Silence!" Gurdijeff roared. "We must be united and strong in dire times such as this!" The two Guardians spoke no more at his command. "Innocent One, I must take consideration in heart for the future of the land. Moa Gault has a fine method in saying you may not be strong enough to be the sorceress of the light. Can you prove it to us that you will dispel the evil looming in the shadows?"  
  
Cecilia slumped to the ground, clutching her chest and crying. She was upset that she couldn't enlist the services of the Guardians to help combat this terror that threatened the life of the planet. She felt powerless before the gods before her. Jack tried to comfort her, but she pushed him away.  
  
"Can you see? Do you see this, my brothers?", Moa Gault hissed. "She is but a weak girl! She could not possibly hope to save Filgaia!" The flaming body of the Guardian grew even brighter as his disgust for the girl went to never heights. "I told you! This wench could never reclaim the Tear Drop! We must act now, before it is too late!"  
  
"H...How dare you.", was Cecilia's reply.  
  
"What, girl?"  
  
"I can help Filgaia. I know I can. Don't you DARE tell me I'm powerless."  
  
Moa Gault was surprised and amused at this latest outburst of emotion. The others had decided to let their brother continue. He decided to lure her along in the hopes that he could break her spirit once again. "Little sorceress...are you trying to challenge the will of a god?"  
  
"I will challenge you if it means I can save Filgaia in the process."  
  
"Is that so? What use is a dead sorceress to our dying world?"  
  
"No use. Even I know that.", she strongly countered. "But my love for Filgaia will empower me. I'll fight to my last breath if it means that I can save this fine land. And you will lend me your aid to help vanquish the oncoming destructive force that looms over us even as we speak. If you refuse my advances, you yourself are nothing more than a wretched cog in the machinery of treachery."  
  
Moa Gault was stunned into silence. He had never expected such vigor and forcefulness from such a frail-looking girl as she. Gurdijeff and Fengalon could say nothing either, because they believed she was telling them the truth. They knew she would fight to the dying breath to protect the land. Moa Gault's brightly flaming body had now dimmed, signaling he had calmed and taken control of his emotions. There was now a fourth and final believer of the Innocent One among the Chieftain Guardians.  
  
"Innocent One...wielder of the light...you are indeed powerful.", Fengalon offered.  
  
Moa Gault conceded and accepted her strength. "Fengalon is correct. You do have the strength of light within you. You would be willing to give your life for our lovely world...and you are so incredibly passionate about your destiny." His flaming body lit up in a soft glow, indicating his content and pleasure with the decision. "So it shall be. You may call on me anytime to aid you in your quest."  
  
"Cecilia...sorceress...", Gurdijeff whispered. "You now have the full support of the Chieftain Guardians of Past. We all have an unwavering faith in you. We all...believe in you and your powers. You proved that to all of us just now." The tiger and firebird Guardians faded away, leaving the earth Guardian remaining alone in the void-space with Jack and Cecilia. "Earth, wind, fire, water...all of us will struggle to protect Filgaia from the evil minions that threaten to annihilate this present and the future." Gurdijeff faded away like his brothers had before him, but not without leaving a final message for the sorceress.  
  
"Save the light...you are mighty. You are...the Innocent One..."  
  
With that, a bright light enveloped the two travelers and whisked them away from the void-space, hurtling them into an unknown time and destination.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In an unknown land...in an unknown time...and in an unknown life, strange and meticulous things were taking place. The air seemed thicker than usual. The birds flew in a different direction. People were more prone to accidents and to breaking out into full-on rage. In this realm, strange and unnatural forces schemed and plotted on how to raze the world in a raging fit of fire and brimstone. Unknown and unusual forces...doing the deeds of the Devil. What was once thought to be truth is but a lie. Now and forever it shall be, as an unknown mass washed up onto a small beach on a mysterious and foreign land. This mass was not mobile, and it certainly didn't look to be living.   
  
In fact, maybe it was never living in the first place. What was once thought to be a lie is truth now...  
  
But perhaps it was nothing. This mysterious matter that appeared on the sandy rim of the island may have been nothing more than the bow of a crashed ship. Perhaps this large ornament escaped the fate of the rest of its body and washed up ashore, waiting for any passers-by to discover and salvage it for gella. Then this person would be able to feed his or her family for weeks without returning to a stressful job as a fish merchant, selling unsavory and rotten carp from the Outer Sea.  
  
But in fact, it wasn't the bow of a ship. It was the body of a unknown blue-haired man.  
  
A young girl and an old man were coming back from the Sacred Shrine, exhausted from their day-long prayer session to the Guardians. The young girl wished to stop by the beach on the way back home to their village. The older man agreed, saying it would be nice to feel the breeze of the ocean winds on his wrinkled, balding head again. They both took a detour to the beach south of the village and relaxed on a large rock jutting out of the cool white sands. They began to reminiscence about his childhood, and about his mother's exquisite cooking.  
  
"Grandpa, was my great-grandma's cooking really that good?"  
  
"It sure was, honey. There's nothing like the taste of a good homemade meal..."  
  
"Really?", the girl asked quizzically. "Why won't you cook for me, Grandpa?"  
  
"Well, honey...my brittle old hands can't cook worth a gella."  
  
"I could help you!", the girl suggested with glee.  
  
"Well, that would be nice. What would you want to eat?"  
  
"Well...maybe some chili!"  
  
"Heh-heh, chili, eh? You got it!"  
  
"Yay! Grandpa!", the girl said as she hugged her relative.  
  
"Now, you go out and play. I'll stay here and feel the ocean breeze."  
  
"Okay! Bye!" The girl jumped off the large rock and ran towards the tide.  
  
The elderly man sighed. "Kids...I still wish I was a kid..."  
  
As the small child played near the ocean, the old man remained on the rock. He closed his eyes, feeling the cool and gentle breeze blowing over his head. He sat like this for a few minutes, when all of a sudden...  
  
"Grandpa! Someone's hurt here!", the girl shouted from a distance.  
  
The man quickly opened his eyes and responded. "Lilly? I'll be right there! Hold on!" He jumped off the rock and ran over to the little girl, who was kneeling over the soaked, pale and withered mass.  
  
"Grandpa! Is he...dead?", Lilly asked in awe.  
  
"Don't touch him, Lilly!", the man told his granddaughter.  
  
"O-okay."  
  
"Let's see here...he's so pale and wrinkled. He must've been in the ocean for weeks." He cradled the soaked lad in his arms.  
  
"I hope he's okay...", the girl whispered.  
  
"Me too.", the old man agreed. "He looks so sickly that~~"  
  
As he said this, the fallen lad's arm came to life, twitching and shaking furiously. Both the girl and the man jumped back in shock. The downed man's arm continued to shake erratically, like it was possessed. Then a shock of electricity blasted out from the top of his head, frightening the two people watching it all. It then stopped, and for a minute the body didn't move anymore. But then the arm moved slowly. It raised up and grabbed at the air as if searching for something to grab a hold of. It found a small stone and grabbed onto it. The hand tightened its grip, crushing the stone into tiny pieces.  
  
"Scary! Aaahhh!", the girl wailed.  
  
"Run, Lilly! Get help from the village!", the old man ordered.  
  
"But, Grandpa..."  
  
"Go! Now! This young chap needs aid!"  
  
"O-Okay."  
  
The girl ran off northward toward the tiny village to seek out medical attention for the mysterious fallen stranger. As the man crawled slowly back over to the washed-up stranger to hold him, the arm began to relax again. Holding him in his arms and rocking back and forth, he looked to the sky and began to pray for his safety and well-being.  
  
"Please, almighty Odoryuk...giver of life and vitality...save this poor soul from the malady that which he suffers under. Please snatch him from whatever corruption that taints his body and soul. Fill him with the light of ages...and the visions of life and strength. Please...save his life. Amen. As the old man concluded his prayer, he looked down and saw a sight that gave him a shock of his life.  
  
The blue-haired lad was looking into his eyes, smiling.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Jack and Cecilia had come to after the light had temporarily knocked them unconscious. After being accepted by the remaining three Chieftain Guardians of Past, the duo were teleported to a strange and foreign place where they had never been before.  
  
"Uuunghh...", Jack moaned as he got up, stumbling around clumsily. He walked over to get Cecilia up. "Cecilia...are you okay? You should get up..."  
  
"Ugh...I...I feel so dizzy...", Cecil moaned as she got up in a daze.  
  
Jack felt some slight motion in his left jacket pocket. "Hanpan...you all right in there?"  
  
"Uh...y-yeah.", the wind mouse answered in a muffled voice. "I'm just a little...sick."  
  
"Me too.", the young sorceress said. "But...where are we?"  
  
"Don't know.", Jack responded. "That's our next goal. To find out where 'here' is."  
  
"Easier said than done, Jack."  
  
"I know."  
  
As the two were about to leave, Hanpan noticed something on the ground where Cecilia was laying at. They were three flat egg-shaped stones with flame, wind and earth symbols engraved on them. "Uh...Cecilia...", Hanpan pointed out in his high-pitched voice. "I think you're forgetting something. Very important, even..." Cecilia turned around and looked down, seeing the flat stones with etched-in marks on them.  
  
"Oh...oh my goodness! They're runes!"  
  
"What exactly does this mean, Cecilia?", Jack asked with interest.  
  
She turned to him in glee. "It means that they accept me! I was accepted by the Guardians! They've given me their blessing!"  
  
"Hey! Way to go, Princess!", Jack exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, Cecilia! You really came through for us this time!", Hanpan added.  
  
"Oh stop it, you two! You're embarrassing me!" Cecilia was visibly flushed.  
  
The three had a brief little celebration, egging on the Princess and bolstering her ego. She was a little content to wallow in her success in obtaining the Guardians' help, but she knew that there was no time for a big celebration. The evil she swore she would vanquish someday had locked her completely inside of her destiny. Now there was no way out. No way out for the Innocent One. The trio left the plateau where they came to at and headed for a tiny village Jack spotted to the northwest while he scouted the surroundings. As they left, Cecilia just had one thought on her mind...  
  
"Rudy...I wish you were here to support me. I don't think I can do this without you..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After washing up on the strange island, the mysterious person received immediate treatment at the nearby village. The local physicians and doctors noticed he didn't have any wounds or long-term scarring from his long stint in the ocean, and they all agreed it was rather peculiar that anyone could survive such a harrowing ordeal. But it was deemed nothing short of a miracle when the lad rose from his bed the very next day and was acting fully functional, completely aware of his surroundings and able to walk around with ease. The doctors in this town have had many people wash up ashore, and typically they end up dying in bed or they don't ever fully recover. But this was different. This time the victim was up and running around in less than a day. No one had ever seen such a miraculous recovery in a situation like this. But the doctors didn't think anything of it. They were just happy that he survived and that there were no long-lasting effects. Besides, this was a simple, down-to-earth village where everyone knew everyone. This was the village of orphans and folks who were running from the monsters. The name of the place...was Court Seim.  
  
Rudy Roughnight headed toward the big mansion where he was summoned to. As he was about to knock on the front door, it flung wide open. A loud woman, fully dressed down in pink, came out yelling.  
  
"Aah! Damnit! It just wasn't enough this time! How will I feed all of the kids this time? Then a tall, brooding man with a deep baritone voice and short brown hair came out.  
  
"Miss Jane, we will find a way. That is why I have an idea."  
  
The long-haired blonde in pink turned to her counterpart. "Really, McDullen? How? Maybe I should start selling my body out on the street!" Her sarcasm and anger were painfully obvious to Rudy.  
  
"No, Miss Jane. I have something that we could do to make a little more money. It's quite legitimate, I assure you."  
  
"Really, McDullen? You're not pulling my chain or anything, are you?" Now she sounded interested in the proposal.  
  
The man chuckled. "Yes, I'm very serious. I know someone in Saint Centour that says the city needs help in exterminating monsters. He says the job is very worthwhile and lucrative, but no one will take the job because the location is so deadly."  
  
"And where would this particular job be located at?", she asked with a grin.   
  
"It's a little place near Saint Centour called Cage Tower. I hear it's quite dangerous in there.  
  
The woman with the bright blonde hair thought about it for a minute, then accepted the proposal. "Well, it looks like we don't have a choice, do we?"  
  
"No, Miss Jane. We don't."  
  
"How are we gonna get there? There're no ships around..."  
  
"Relax, Miss Jane. I already had Mr. Maxwell charter a ship for us."  
  
"Is that right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well then! Let's go!" The woman turned around in a hurry, not watching where she was going. She ran head-on into Rudy, knocking her off-balance. McDullen caught her before she fell over and placed her back on both feet. The catty woman got into the blue-haired lad's face.  
  
"What the...! Watch where you're going, you goof! Sheesh!"  
  
"I'm sorry...", Rudy apologized.  
  
"Yeah, you should be! I almost fell over because I bumped into you!"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Goodness! Some people are just inconsiderate!"  
  
Rudy sidestepped, letting the infuriated woman and her consort pass. They did, but the woman turned around and asked him a question afterwards.  
  
"Hey...what are you doing just standing around here in front of the mansion anyway? No loitering allowed!  
  
"I, um...somebody called me here. Someone called..." He pulled out a small sheet of paper with a name on it from his back pocket and read. "...Nicholi?"  
  
The curly-haired blonde pointed to the door. "Well, go on in! I doubt he'll come out here to see YOU! Geez, if you're a guest, then you can just go in! No need to be all polite and crap!" She walked off in a huff, with her servant in tow behind her. As she walked off, Rudy could hear her saying something about him. "Wow, what a weirdo! ...But he is sort of good-looking." Rudy blushed and headed inside the large house.  
  
The interior of the building was very plain. Small pictures of smiling children lined the walls. Rudy saw a picture sitting on a small table near the entrance of the woman and the man he had just met. A large painting of an old man hung over the doorway. Rudy looked up and thought he recognized the man in the painting. It looked like a reasonable facsimile of his dead father, Zepet. As he stood in the lobby and looked at it, he didn't notice someone had come up behind him.  
  
"Hello, young man.", the strange person whispered in his ear. Rudy jumped, startled. He turned around to see a short man with small wire-frame glasses and shoulder-length brown hair. "Hello. My name is Nicholi. Nicholi Maxwell, founder of Court Seim. He extended his arm to shake his hand. Rudy accepted the offer. "Welcome to my little town. I heard you're the one who made the miraculous recovery after being washed up on the beach. It's truly amazing how you even survived. The doctors say you were in the water for at least three weeks."  
  
"It seems like it was a miracle, sir."  
  
"Well, I wouldn't disagree with you there."  
  
Rudy smiled and glanced at the large portrait again. Nicholi noticed this and touched down on the subject. "Do you know who that is?", he asked.  
  
"It looks like my father.", responded Rudy.  
  
Nicholi looked at him curiously when he said that. "Your father?"  
  
"Yes...it looks incredibly like him. Who is this in the picture?"  
  
"That man...is a legend. He was famous the world over for his advances in ARMs management."  
  
"ARMs?" Rudy remembered his ARM...the cannon he left behind when he left the kingdom. "I lost my ARM a long time ago, sir."  
  
Nicholi was shocked to hear he could use an ARM. "You can use an ARM?"  
  
"Yes.", Rudy responded to the question. "But it's gone now."  
  
"Where? Where did you leave it?" The man with glasses had a stern look about him now.  
  
"I...lost it."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"In Aldehyde."  
  
"Aldehyde? You lost your ARM halfway across the world?"  
  
"Well...I didn't lose it. I actually left it behind intentionally."  
  
"What?!" He sounded appalled at the very thought. "Why?"  
  
"I didn't want to fight anymore."  
  
Nicholi was furious at him. But at the same time, he felt an aura of sorrow emanating from the young man. He asked him one final question. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm Rudy. Rudy Roughnight."  
  
Nicholi's eyes widened when he heard this. "Roughnight? Your last name is Roughnight? You're lying! Lying, I say!"  
  
"I don't lie."  
  
"It has to be! You can't really be his..."  
  
"Yes, I am. I have no reason to lie about it."  
  
Nicholi paced back and forth on the lobby floor, trying to figure out this entire scenario. He then stopped, walking back down the hall from which he came. "Come with me. We need to talk." Rudy hesitantly went with him, unaware of what would take place next.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
The nature-oriented people of Baskar...it consisted of a small society of people who had an advanced connection with the Guardians and a strong bond with the forces of nature. The Baskar clan were a deeply spiritual people who prayed and worshipped to the Chieftain Guardians of yore, and cultivated the land in honor of life and prosperity of nature. They were unwise to the ways of technology, however, and actively shunned any advance towards such an existence. Living on the edge of the Outer Sea, they welcomed the traveling pair with open arms. Cecilia asked one of the greeters about the region, and where she could possibly contact the next Guardian.  
  
"Excuse me, miss..." , Cecilia humbly asked a young woman. "Would you know where the Guardians dwell? I must contact them in order to save our fair Filgaia."  
  
The woman looked at her strangely. "Guardians? You know about the Guardians?"  
  
"Yes, I do. What, do you know about Guardians as well?"  
  
The lady bowed and kindly answered her question. "Yes. We here in Baskar Village pray to and worship the gods of ancient times. The Guardians are still alive today in this realm, but I sense they are losing their energy quickly." She went on to talk about certain changes in the surrounding region and how these changes may have been caused by evil forces. "Our animals and plants are slowly dying...like something is sapping away at the Guardians' energy. If that happens, the world itself begins to weaken. And if the flow of energy from the Guardians to the land completely vanishes, Filgaia will die out."  
  
The silent swordsman decided to interrupt. "I guess the Tear Drop is hard at work..."  
  
Cecilia replied. "Yes...my mother's heirloom. How could it be used for evil...?"  
  
The lady suggested that if they wanted to know more about the Guardians and the withering of the surrounding nature that they go talk to the Baskar Chief. "It's the house in the middle of the village. Please, I'll show you there." They kindly accepted her offer and followed her.  
  
The Baskar Chief's house was made mainly of brick and mud, with a few tribal decorations hanging on the walls. There was the stuffed head of a buck and the head of a bear hanging over the doorway, and the rugs were made completely of animal fur. There was also a large, white dog laying in the corner, right next to where the Chief himself was sitting. As he sat there on the fur rug smoking a long wooden pipe, he laughed heartily and welcomed the two visitors into his home. He had a   
  
"Ho-ho-ho-ho! Welcome! Welcome, one and all! Young girl, you must be the one spoke about in my visions."  
  
Cecilia looked at the old jovial man with surprise. "You knew I was coming here?"  
  
"Ho-ho-ho-ho! Of course, girl! Gurdijeff told of your arrival into our humble land."  
  
"Oh...I see."  
  
The Baskar Chief motioned for Jack and the Princess to sit down and make themselves comfortable. One of the Chief's helpers unfolded and placed a bearskin rug onto the wooden-planked floor, allowing them to sit down. He then bowed and left the room. The Chief began to ask about the young lady's travels, and how she would defeat the evil.  
  
"You are called the 'Shaman of the Light' in my visions. Gurdijeff told of your arrival here in our little village. But I would like to know where you come from."  
  
"Well...", Cecilia said. "I come from a kingdom called Aldehyde."  
  
"I see, I see...very good. That is very good. You have the Tear Drop?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Chief. But the evil I must crush has the Tear Drop." Cecilia hung her head.  
  
"Hmm, this is very unfortunate for the land. If the source of life for the gods is in the hands of darkness, then they will most certainly die out. Now I know why our crops have been withering up and why our animals have been dying."  
  
Cecilia apologized again. "I'm sorry, Baskar Chief..."  
  
"It is all right.", he reassured her. "You may still collapse their plans. There is sill a way."  
  
"Really?", the girl wondered. "How?"  
  
"Well, it will not be easy."  
  
"I can accept that. Can't you, Jack?"  
  
Jack looked up from the rug. "Oh, uh...yeah. I can do anything."  
  
"See, Chief? We'll save Filgaia from the evil, no matter what it takes."  
  
"Hmm...well you are our only hope now. Perhaps you can do it." The Baskar Chief stood up and paced around near the sleeping dog. "If you did not know already, the enemies that threaten our world want desperately to release the Demon Queen from her prison."  
  
Jack asked curiously. "Demon Queen?"  
  
"Yes.", the tribal leader answered. "You see, the Demon Queen once before tried to take over this planet. With the help of her children, she and her minions fought to conquer it continent by continent. Approaching the point where they could no longer avoid the conflict, the Humans and the Elws joined forces to combat the oncoming horde.  
  
"...Elws? What is an Elw?", Cecilia asked with interest.  
  
Jack interrupted with some input of his own. "Hey! I remember seeing an Elw! It was only a image of an Elw and not a real one, but it was strange. It spoke directly into my mind! This was at the Memory Temple, before I even met you, Cecilia..."  
  
"Oh, I remember now!", replied the girl. "The Memory Temple must've been an ancient ruin that the Elw used. Hmm..."  
  
"Yeah.", agreed the swordsman. "But the Elw also gave me a warning. About not seeking Lolithia."  
  
"And we unearthed Lolithia for the Ruin Festival..."  
  
"Yeah. That was probably our mistake, not listening to what the Elw had to say..."  
  
"But could your destiny have been changed if you didn't explore the temple?", Cecilia countered. "Maybe if you hadn't gone into there in the first place..."  
  
"Nah, I would've gone to Aldehyde even if I didn't explore the temple."  
  
"Perhaps you're right..."  
  
The Chief of Baskar cleared his throat. "Ahem!" Both Cecilia and Jack stopped talking and let him continue his story. "So anyway...the Elws and the Humans could not afford to ignore the situation. Realizing the strength and mightiness of the Demon Queen and her horde, they knew that they needed an extra boost of power to stand a chance against them. This is where what you call the 'Golems' come into play.  
  
"Oh, the Golems...", Cecilia gasped.  
  
"Who built those big machines anyway?", Jack asked the man.  
  
"The Elws built them.", he answered. "The Elws themselves were quite an advanced people. They discovered the secret of how to combine technology and magic, creating superior magical machines to help them destroy the vile minions bent on takeover.  
  
"Ah, I see...", Jack replied. "So the Elw told me not to look for his machines. Lolithia was a tool of war, not a relic to be displayed in a festival."  
  
The Baskar Chief continued on. "The demons fought the Humans and the Elws, along with the introduction of Golems into the battle. With this new advancement in weaponry, it seemed assured that the natives of Filgaia would rise up as the clear-cut winners in this war. But something unexpected happened. They began to develop weapons using the same technology that the Elws primarily used in the war.  
  
"What? How did they do that?", Cecilia asked.  
  
"To this day, I have no idea. It's been rumored that an Elw betrayed his people and aided the Demon Race in building golems and other sorcery-laced machines, but no one could prove it. Anyway, continuing on...with the rise in power of the demons, the Elws and the Humans would not stand a chance against them. Many villages and towns were burned to the ground and reduced to rubble in the oncoming days of battle. Entire kingdoms fell overnight. Even the mighty Arctica, land of cold and warriors, could not quell the destruction.  
  
"..." Jack turned his head away, wincing at his words.  
  
"What happened then, Baskar Chief?", the girl asked.  
  
"Well," he continued on. "Things looked bleak for the inhabitants of Filgaia. It almost seemed assured that the Demon Queen and her horde of minions would take over the world. But then...a truly miraculous think took place."  
  
"And that is..." Jack asked.  
  
"The appearance of the Guardians.", the chief stated.  
  
"Wow...Guardians..." Cecilia gasped.  
  
"So they helped out in the war, eh? Pretty good.", Jack chimed in.  
  
"Yes, they greatly helped us in our time of need. If it weren't for the Guardians, Filgaia might not have been here for us today. With the appearance of the Guardians, the shift of power in the war greatly changed sides. The Elws and Humans felt energized and fought bravely on the battlefield. Soon, the Demon Queen was fearing for her life and her safety. She could not resist the combined power of all three forces anymore. But she made the critical mistake of fighting on. The Humans and the Elws destroyed her, cut out her heart, and cut it into three pieces. And with the aid of the Guardians, they sealed the Queen's heart in three separate statues imbued with a Guardian's power."  
  
"Her heart?", asked the Princess.  
  
"Yes, her heart."  
  
"Oh I see..."  
  
"So that is the story of the Guardian War," the Baskar Chief summed up. "The war ended with the death of the Demon Queen and the retreat of the remaining monsters. The people of Filgaia were devastated as well, but we made a rebound into what you see today. But..."  
  
"Hmm? But what?", she asked.  
  
The Baskar Chief sighed. "It seems that it may not have truly ended there. Let me tell you something. The reason of your journey is to finish off the Demon Queen. Her remaining children are working to destroy the Guardian statues and collect the three pieces of her heart to revive her. If that happens, the world may..."  
  
"...?" Cecilia looked puzzled.  
  
"May what? What will happen?", Jack asked with intent.  
  
"...I do not know for sure. But it may be catastrophic. So that is why you must go north to Zenom Mountain."  
  
"Zenom Mountain?", asked Cecilia  
  
"Yes. There is rumored to be a Guardian statue on that mountain containing a piece of the Demon Queen's heart. You must go there, extract the Guardian's power from that statue, and permanently destroy that piece forever. Can you do it?"  
  
"Yes!", exclaimed the Princess. "We can do it!"  
  
"Of course we can. I won't give up now!", said the swordsman.  
  
"Very good. Remember, the mountain is far north of the village. You can't miss it. If you would like to rest here until tomorrow, that is fine with me."  
  
"Please. We would appreciate that.", Cecilia said with a courteous smile.  
  
"Very well. The beds are over there. You can go tomorrow morning. Get a good night's rest until then."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It had been two days since Rudy talked with Nicholi about his past with Zepet Roughnight. They talked all through the night and compared points of view from their meetings and experiences with the old ARMs meister. It took a lot of talking and comparing of stories and pasts, but Nicholi eventually broke down and conceded that Rudy was indeed the son of Zepet. He then filled him in on what his father's occupation and field of study was. Nicholi told him of his father's works, including how he was the first person ever to use ARMs successfully without any side effects. He then told him of massive project that Zepet nearly finished but didn't before he died. Nicholi gave Rudy a rowboat and told him to go out to a small island on the outskirts of the main island. There, he said, he may find some clues about his past and his father. And he also wanted desperately to know who the third figure in his dream was.  
  
The Epitaph Of The Sea...an unfinished tower used to experiment with flying machines and used to test out prototype ARMs. Rudy felt a biting chill when he firs opened the large steel doors and stepped inside. It was quite windy and wet inside, with discolored and rusted machinery sitting around. The walls and floors had moss growing on them.  
  
"Gee...this place hasn't been used for a while.", Rudy told himself aloud. "I guess I should explore...but I should also watch out for monsters." He began to look around the place, finding more broken and rusted machinery. Many of the small rooms contained broken machines and rats. One room had what looked to be a broken ARM.  
  
"I wish I had my cannon...", he thought to himself.  
  
About three hours later, Rudy was near the top of the tower. There were very few rooms lined up on opposite ends of a short and small hallway. He went inside the first room to the left and found it filled with books. The walls were completely aligned with bookshelves, filled with books on a number of different issues.  
  
"Aviation And Its Purposes, Psychic Synchronization Of ARMs, Metal Alloys...hmm, this truly is a warehouse of knowledge.", he said to himself as he looked onto a different bookshelf. There was one book that stood out on the final bookshelf. It was partially hanging off the side. Rudy walked over and picked it up, looking at the cover.  
  
"...Erotica?" Rudy flipped through a few of the pages. He saw something that made him blush, and he quickly put the book back in its original place. "Err...that's not what I'm looking for. He left the room, looking elsewhere for information. The second room had a lot of laboratory equipment and vials. Rudy walked over to a table on the opposite side of the room, examining it with intent. It looked so familiar to him, but he couldn't put his finger on why it did. Then he had a quick flashback.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"...Is he functioning?"  
  
"No, not yet. We need more Bio-Prism."  
  
"What do you mean? Didn't we have enough to begin with?"  
  
"I thought we had. Turns out it absorbed more then I thought."  
  
"How much? Is he that powerful?"  
  
"Seems so. It has advanced capabilities, far greater than any I've seen before."  
  
"How is he that powerful? Explain!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Aaghh... it can't be. It just can't!", Rudy winced, holding his face in his hands. "Could I have been...the one laying on this table? It just seems...so crazy. Why, father?" Rudy then noticed a large broken tube near the table with some writing on it. He got in closer, trying to read the faint writing on the label. What it said shocked him  
  
"Bio...Bio-Prism?" He backed up a little, feeling numb. "Bio-Prism? Is this...?" As he continued to back up, he unknowingly bumped into a bookcase that was behind him, knocking a small brown-colored book off the shelf. He hesitantly picked it up, afraid of any other revelations that would destroy him. He looked at the cover, reading the title of the book aloud.  
  
"...Metal Bird. Hmm...what could this be?" He flipped through a few of the pages, reading some of the content. "The test was a failure. Flying machine 'Garuda Mk-110' crashed 4.2 minutes after it left the ground. The test pilot, Samuel, died in the crash. Now I have the terrible burden of informing his family..." Rudy flipped through the book some more, landing an a page near the end. "Final test of combining magic-laced technology and ARMs is about to go underway. I have enlisted the help of a prominent scientist named Vassim to help in the work. If this succeeds, we will spearhead a new wave of fighting machines...a new breed of destructive power..."  
  
Rudy shut the book instantly, like a reflex, shoving it back in the bookcase. He collapsed to the ground, unable to deal with this recent revelation about himself. "It is true...I'm not human. I'm not." He silently sobbed, wishing it weren't true. He knew that he wasn't human even before he read the passage, but now that it was proven beyond a doubt it just hit him harder. Wiping the tears away from his eyes, he saw a tiny slip of folded paper on the ground before him. He picked it up, reading the one word that was scribbled onto it.  
  
"...Emiko?" He didn't understand what the word meant.  



	3. Cornered

Holmcross Project Deep: Cornered  
  
  
  
  
  
Rudy Roughnight had arrived in Court Seim for the second time after coming back from the Epitaph Of The Sea. The trip itself didn't really provide much more in the way of knowledge about his past, but he learned a great deal about Zepet's works.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A world-famous scientist and weapons expert, Zepet Roughnight was known for his innovations in the military field. Back when he was younger, he used to be part of a research-and-development team for the kingdom of Arctica. He became famous by producing powerful psychic-enhanced weaponry that could be mounted on the hand or arm. The weaponry, which he called ARMs, could easily destroy targets at a distance. Their sheer destructive power rivaled that of an entire army of soldiers. But the ARMs were not perfect, and there were many deaths attributed to them. Soldiers either could not psychically synchronize with them, or the machines rejected them altogether. On the battlefield against the Demon Race, they would not work as designed, leaving some soldiers open for attack without any defense. The king then deemed ARMs inefficient and unworthy in combat, leaving Zepet humiliated and rejected. After the total failure of this new weaponry, he was banished from the kingdom and told never to return again.  
  
But ARMs never went away. Their presence only got stronger, as Arctica's research-and-development teams and a hand-picked group of scientists from around the world secretly worked on improving them. Numerous volunteers (and if there weren't enough of those, some homeless folks were taken) underwent extreme tests and trials to perfect usage and alignment success rates of ARMs. A lot of these test subjects ended up dead or paralyzed. Some couldn't walk or speak after what they underwent, changing their lives forever. In the end, it was a total failure. ARMs couldn't be handled by just anyone. Only special beings had a strong enough brain pattern to control the force of ARMs...only a certain type of being could bear ARMs. This being was...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Oh, hey Rudy,", Nicholi said with a wide smile. "So, what happened? Find anything interesting about 'Old Man Zepet'? You were gone for a while, and I was starting to think you may have bit the big one!"  
  
"...Bit the...big one?" Rudy looked at him as if he didn't understand.  
  
"What? You've never heard that expression?"  
  
"Uh...no."  
  
"Well, my boy!", Nicholi said, putting an arm around him. He then lit up a small pipe and began to puff away. "You must have hit your head or something!"  
  
"Well actually, I~~"  
  
Nicholi interrupted him. "Aah, it's fine. Just fine. Hey, you know," Nicholi got in real close. Rudy could smell a slight tinge of Old Shotgun on his breath. "You know, my boy...I think Jane could take a real liking to you! Heh-heh-heh, you sly dog!" He slapped the young lad on the back, knocking him forward a little. "Oh....whoopsie! Looks like I don't know my own strength! Oh well!"  
  
"Uh," Rudy looked at him, not knowing exactly what to say.  
  
"It's all right! It's all right! I...I can understand you." He then began to stumble down the hallway, towards his workshop under the house.  
  
"Err," Rudy commented. "That was a little strange. Oh well, I don't think Nicholi will mind if I stayed here tonight. Well, hopefully not. Besides...in his shape, he may need some help." Rudy walked into one of the guest rooms and crashed into a nearby bed, exhausted from his trip.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"You know, I hope my dad isn't drinking again, like he usually does when he's home alone," Jane exclaimed.  
  
"He probably is," McDullen responded in his trademark baritone voice.  
  
"And that guy...that little runt I ran into that day! What did he want with my father?"  
  
"Who knows? You should ask him when you get back," he said.  
  
"Geez...just ticks me off thinking about it! My dad, drinking himself into an early grave!"  
  
"..." McDullen silently listened to her vent.  
  
The duo stood side by side, trying to see the horizon through the fog on the edge of the ship. Sailors hummed and whistled while they stored and moved around barrels and boxes, and the calm, crisp air felt refreshing to both of them. Nicholi had charted a ship owned by a man named Drake, from the town of Port Timney. Drake was a little lecherous of sorts, but nevertheless kind and courteous to his guests. A wealthy man who made his fortune in the shipping business, he was good friends with Nicholi and regularly visited the town of Court Seim to sell crates of foodstuffs to feed the orphans. However, he was ruthless when it came down to business, and his prices weren't cheap. But as a favor to a longtime and preferred customer, Drake offered to ferry Jane Maxwell and her manservant to Saint Centour free of charge. Drake came over to talk, and they both greeted him by shaking his hand...  
  
"My my, Ms. Maxwell! All the way out to Saint Centour? That's the furthest you've been from home for a long time," joked Drake.  
  
"Maybe. I've been further, though. Remember Baskar?"  
  
"Oh yeah, that little trip," he recalled. "I remember the natives running us off the land because they hadn't ever seen a ship up that close! They must've thought it was a sea monster or something!"  
  
"Ha-ha-ha! That was pretty amazing, though," she replied.  
  
"Oh well...those were the days...you were so much younger back then. You used to be running all over the world, looking for treasure and stuff. But you've changed into a good-looking woman. I'm amazed."  
  
"Gee, can't you be a little more subtle than that?"  
  
"Ha-ha-ha! Yeah, you're right," he said as he gave up. "Oh well, I tried. But honestly, you've changed. Now that you have your hands full with the children, it's like you've become a different person. I'm sure your mother would be proud of how her daughter turned out." There was a slight pause right after that comment. "Oh well, I have to get back to work, managing these lazy clods I call sailors. Talk to you later," he said as he walked off. Jane smiled and turned back to the sea, a little shaken. McDullen noticed this and tried to comfort her.  
  
"Umm, Miss Jane...it must still hurt."  
  
"No, it's fine. Really, I'm okay."  
  
"Are you sure? I don't think Drake should've said something like that directly to your face."  
  
Jane again told him that she would be fine. "It's fine, really. It's in the past. And to get over the past, I must be strong." She looked up at him and smiled. "And besides, I'm not too worried about myself right now. I'm worried about getting my hands on some gella so I can feed the kids of the orphanage."  
  
"Me...me too," added McDullen. "It'll be all right. We'll find some way."  
  
"I believe you...I do."  
  
Jane just stood there, looking at the sea for a minute. Then she turned around to face her servant. "Umm...would you mind it if I wanted to be alone for a while," she asked him politely.  
  
"Are you sure, Miss Jane? I mean, I can stay with you if you wish."  
  
"No, it's okay. Really." She walked off, headed toward the passenger section of the ship. "I'll be in my cabin. Tell me if Drake wants to see me. Until then, I'll be resting up." She walked down under the ship, leaving McDullen alone on the deck, with the exception of the other sailors.  
  
The sea had began to toss a little, something that no one but McDullen really even noticed. It wasn't too much of a change, at least nothing that indicated an approaching storm or tidal wave. If he had been in his cabin, he probably wouldn't have even noticed the slight change in movement of the ocean. But he had. And now McDullen was worried about what the future held for the inhabitants of Court Seim. It was unclear why, but a premonition of something terrible happening overwhelmed him.  
  
"An omen," he wondered, as the ship quietly sailed onward.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The following morning back in Court Seim, Rudy woke abruptly to loud clanging noises reverberating through the mansion. "What in the hell," he thought as he rubbed his temples and rolled sleepily out of the comfortable bed. He put on and laced up his boots, leaving the guest room and heading down the hallway towards Nicholi's small basement workshop. The master of the house was hard at work, hammering what looked to be a large weapon of some sort. "What? Why are you banging away at that thing this early in the morning?", he asked him.  
  
Nicholi stopped working and looked up, obviously a little offended. "It is my house, Rudy. And since Jane and McDullen are out on business, I have all the free time I need to finish my work." Having said that, he resumed hammering down on the large weapon, paying no mind whatsoever to the lad.  
  
"Gee, sorry I asked...don't get mad."  
  
Not looking up at him, he responded. "I'm sorry, Rudy...but I just don't have the time to fix and build ARMs while they're here. You know how it is...complaint after complaint about how loud it is, about how I'm disturbing the children...like I said, this is my only free time. I'm sorry if I woke you."  
  
Learning that he was working on an ARM, Rudy was now interested. "That's an ARM? Wow, it's pretty big!"  
  
Nicholi stopped work again to acknowledge his interest. "You think so? Yeah, it's one of the biggest ARMs I've seen in my life...I'm surprised you haven't seen anything more powerful."  
  
"Well, all I had was a cannon...but it wasn't like I needed a ton of firepower, though."  
  
"Hmm, I suppose you're right. After all, what good is firepower if the wielder cannot even use it effectively?"  
  
"I agree with you..."  
  
They just stood there, staring at each other for a moment. Then Rudy asked him, "Hey, is that even finished yet? How strong is it?"  
  
Nicholi responded with a grin. "Actually, it is finished. But I was just getting all of the kinks and lumps out of the barrel portion of it. When you fire this thing, it tends to mess up the paint job and the structure of the barrel. As for your second question...it is quite powerful. The Bazooka is a long-range, anti-air ARM. It can hit and vaporize multiple targets in an instant. As I recall, there is another ARM even more powerful, but I forgot its name..."  
  
"Oh...that's too bad. I wanted to see more of your stuff."  
  
Nicholi flashed him a little grin, then again resumed banging away at the ARM. Rudy pulled up a nearby stool, sat down and decided to watch him at work. As he watched the sparks fly off the large metal cylinder with each blow of the hammer, he desired to own and to maintain an ARM even more. Now, Rudy was starting to feel regretful about leaving his portable cannon on the western continent. As much as it reminded him of his past, and about what his true purpose was for being built, he still had a strong connection to it. "Why did I leave it behind," he asked himself.  
  
Nicholi stooped yet again, swearing he heard something. "Hmm? Did you say something?"  
  
"Uh...no."  
  
"...Must be my ears from all this clanging and banging then." Rudy had already formed a plan. As Nicholi raised the hammer to resume work, Rudy chimed in with some information from a day gone past.  
  
"You know...you were drunk yesterday."  
  
The hammer dropped and was about to hit, but Nicholi caught it before it landed a blow. He turned his head toward the sitting man, responding nervously to the comment.  
  
"D...Drunk, you say...?"  
  
"Yes. You were very inebriated."  
  
"Umm...really?"  
  
"Yes. I thought you'd pass out in the middle of the mansion lobby, what with you stumbling all around and slurring your words."  
  
"Well, umm...I can maintain myself even in the harshest drunken stupor," he replied.  
  
"I guess you can. But still...I'm surprised you don't have a headache yet, with all of the banging and stuff. I'm even more surprised that you can even work when you should be in bed. You know you should be in bed...right?"  
  
Nicholi looked strangely at him now. He knew that the younger man was actually plotting something now, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Finally, he just came right out and asked him what was on his mind. "Are you planning to do something?"  
  
"No. Why do you say that," the one with blue hair said with a grin.  
  
"Oh, now I know you're plotting something!"  
  
"No I'm not. Really."  
  
"Yes, you are! Why did you just grin like that?"  
  
"I didn't grin. What are you talking about?" He still had a big grin on his face though.  
  
"..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"...You're a strange kid, Rudy." He turned around to continue working. Rudy's plan had failed. Or so he thought. He wasn't quite prepared to throw in the towel just yet. Getting up from the small stool, he walked right over to him, sneaking up behind him in a tip-toe fashion. Sensing that his personal bubble was being invaded, Nicholi turned around and saw him.  
  
"What in the hell are you doing, Rudy?"  
  
"Uhh...nothing."  
  
"Mmm-hmm. Okay. You're not doing anything." Nicholi was now onto his plan. "Listen Rudy. It wouldn't take a genius to put two and two together and figure out what you were planning on doing." Rudy hung his head in shame, mad and embarrassed that he was found out. He listened to Nicholi's little lecture. "You know Rudy, stealing won't get you anywhere in life. You may want something so bad that you lose your head and do something stupid in the process. I know you want this Bazooka so badly that you were willing to knock me out and steal it from right under my nose. Well my boy, that's not the way the world works." Rudy returned to the little stool in the corner.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mr. Maxwell. I really am."  
  
"I know you are, Rudy. I know. But still..."  
  
"Can you forgive me?"  
  
"Yes.", he said with a sigh. "But promise me that you'll never ever try and steal something that's not yours ever again. Do you hear me?"  
  
"...Yes."  
  
"Good. Now~~"  
  
Rudy interrupted him to ask a question. "Can I please borrow your Bazooka?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Jack and Cecilia, after 4 long and arduous days of travel through the Baskar Region, had finally reached Zenom Mountain. This specific mountain is the place where the souls of the departed come to pay homage to the Guardians of yore before they ascend towards the heavens...or so the people of Baskar thought. Once every month, three villagers are made to climb the mountain and pick flowers from the summit. 'Zenom Brahs', as the people call them, are imbued with the Guardians' power. When the flowers are brought back, they are replanted into the ground and tended to with the utmost care. This in turn brings the gods' powers to the earth, enriching the lives of the people by helping to grow ripe crops. Zephyr, the heart of the West Wind and the Guardian of Hope, spreads over the mountain, helping more flowers to grow. The cycle repeats itself every month, and the villagers have fared well by doing this. But with the sightings of foreign monsters on Zenom, the sudden start of a seemingly never-ending blizzard and the disappearance of the Chief's only son, no one has been there since 3 months ago.  
  
The chilly mountain winds blew harshly as the magician and swordsman ascended the steep and narrow edges of the peak. At about halfway up the mountain, the two decided to set up tent for the night, since climbing in the freezing winds would prove to be a bad idea. Inside the tent...  
  
"Jack, let me ask you something."  
  
Jack got up from under his fur covering. "Yeah, what is it?"  
  
"About your past..."  
  
"Forget it," he quickly snapped, as if he almost expected her to inquire about it.  
  
"Why? What could be so bad about it? Come on, please tell me," she protested.  
  
"Cecilia...I'm sorry, but I can't. But I promise someday that I'll tell you." He got back under the covers and went to bed. Hanpan hopped up beside Cecilia and whispered to her so that Jack couldn't hear.  
  
"Cecilia, it's okay. He's not mad at you."  
  
"But~~" Cecilia lowered her voice when she saw the man under the covers toss and turn, trying to get to sleep. She put her face directly near the wind mouse. "But I was just wondering about it. I mean, Jack seemed really reluctant to help me in Aldehyde and all...so I thought that maybe if someone could be there for him..."  
  
Hanpan nodded in agreement. "I know just what you mean, though. Jack is a loner by nature. I'm really the only friend he has right now.  
  
"How does he cope with whatever it is that hurts him," she asked.  
  
"Well, it's certainly not easy, that's for sure. He has to preoccupy his time with other things, like treasure hunting, or~~"  
  
"Finding Guardians," she said, finishing his thought.  
  
"Right."  
  
Cecilia sat there for a minute in silence, not sure what to make of the entire scenario. She was appreciative of the mysterious swordsman's help, but she was also curious about his past. Finally, she decided to ask the closest source available about it...  
  
"Hanpan," she asked with a soft smile. "Could you tell me?"  
  
"What? You want me to tell you?"  
  
"Well, if you don't want to. I don't want to sound meddlesome or anything..."  
  
"...Well," he thought aloud. "I can't tell you much. Even he hasn't told me everything about what happened." Cecilia got in even closer to listen well to him.  
  
"So what do you know?"  
  
Hanpan sighed, then told her everything that he knew. "Listen. The only thing I know is that he's from Arctica."  
  
"Arctica," she gasped. "How? I thought that everyone died there."  
  
"Everyone except for him. It tears him up inside to know that he was the only one who survived the calamity. It's killing him."  
  
"I see...Jack was the only survivor from the attack of the Demon Race on Arctica. That's why it's so painful for him to talk about. I never knew..."  
  
"I didn't either, until we talked to the Baskar Chief. I just put it together just then. The destruction of Arctica overnight and what he told us about the demons and the Demon Queen...it hit me just then."  
  
"Oh my," she said softly.  
  
"I honestly think it changed him. He told me a little after we met that he used to be 'a different person'. Whatever that means."  
  
"Ahh," is all she could say."  
  
The girl and the small blue critter just sat there for a moment. Hanpan announced that he was going to go to bed, and he hopped up into Jack's coat jacket. Cecilia returned to her side of the tent, now understanding a little more of Jack's tumultuous past. As she lay there silently, thinking about this new tidbit of information she received, she slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next morning the two continued up the snowy, beaten path of Zenom Mountain, unaware of what they may find at the top. Wave after wave of monster attacked them, more so than the usual fare, and they both sensed evil in the winds. Someone...or something was already here, something horribly corrupt and dark. As they approached the summit, what they saw before them was shocking.  
  
"Oh...my god...the statue has been," Cecilia gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.  
  
"It's...destroyed," Jack said, wincing in regret. "Damn, we were too late."  
  
Cecilia and Jack approached the destroyed Guardian Statue. The girl touched it with her hand, seeing if she could sense the remaining power of the Demon Queen's heart or the Guardian that inhabited the statue. Alas, there was no power left. She hung her head in shame, unable to cope at how she missed the opportunity to stop the Demon Queen from returning. Suddenly, a malicious, deep and demented laugh pierced the winds, putting the two travelers on alert.  
  
"Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa! Stupid, filthy humans! You came all the way here...for nothing! Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa," a voice spoke.  
  
Jack whipped around to look behind him. "Who's there? Show yourself, coward!"  
  
"Oh please...don't rush me. I'll kill you very, VERY soon. But I want to have a little fun first!"  
  
Cecilia walked over to stand side by side with Jack. "It's...you...you're the one who did this! Why? Why did you destroy the Guardian Statue?"  
  
"To bring back that which was so cruelly taken from us...to resurrect our Queen of Darkness...we will destroy all Guardians! And you will have to die, because you are standing in our path of taking over this accursed land!"  
  
"Your Queen," Cecilia asked. "Who is that? Who is your Queen?"  
  
"You will have to beat the information out of me, girl! Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa!"  
  
Both Cecilia and Jack looked up simultaneously to see a large figure looming over them on a small cliff. The figure leapt off, attempting to crush them under its weight. They both scurried to evade the attack, being knocked over by the shockwave that the creature made when it hit the ground, landing on its feet. Hanpan was knocked out of Jack's pocket, and he went flying over to the side of the cliff. The very mountain itself seemed to shake under its weight, as Cecilia and Jack stumbled to their feet to see who their enemy was. A gargantuan green goblin wielding a destructive looking flail stared at them with its narrowed and sinister eyes, breathing heavily in the snow-cloaked air. It was the one who attacked Aldehyde, killed dozens of its citizens, and stole the Tear Drop from Cecilia. It was the one who called himself...Belselk.  
  
"Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa," the evil monster laughed again. "I will crush you and smash you and kill you for fun...I will annihilate you with my flail..." He began to slowly walk over to them, as they began to back away from him. "I made you...and I can destroy you...I am the omega, the end to all of your dreams...I am the mighty Belselk! Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa!" He started to violently swing his flail over his head, gaining momentum very quickly. Jack turned to Cecilia, telling her to escape.  
  
"I can handle this beast," he yelled at her. "Go! Run to safety, now!"  
  
"But Jack...I want to stay and help you. You can't beat this thing alone."  
  
"Damnit, Cecilia! Run! He's coming!"  
  
Belselk released the pent-up power behind the large steel ball, aiming it toward the Princess. Jack dove in front of her, deflecting it away from her. As he lay there on the ground, he yelled at her to escape.  
  
"Leave, Cecilia! Now, before you get hurt!"  
  
"Jack, I~~"  
  
"Cecilia," Hanpan said as he ran over to her. "I'll stay here. You have to get out of here!"  
  
"Run! Now," he screamed. Jack Van Burace got back up and faced the demon, preparing to fight. He held up his sword to attack. "Agony, sorrow....lend me your strength, now! Meteor Dive!" He released a powerful Fast Draw technique, leaping high up into the air and crashing down with blunt force onto Belselk's cranium. The demon was temporarily stunned, stumbling backwards in pain.   
  
"Aarghh," the creature moaned, rubbing its head.  
  
Jack turned back toward Cecilia, begging her to flee. "Please, Cecilia...run away!"  
  
"N-No...I can't do it!"  
  
"Damn," he replied. "Cecilia, this is too dangerous for someone like you! Get off of the mountain, before you get killed!"  
  
Cecilia thought about running away and listening to Jack's orders. She started toward the summit exit, but she suddenly stopped.  
  
"Wait a minute," she said. "The Guardians..."  
  
"Cecilia! Go on! Get out of here," Jack yelled some more. Belselk had recovered from the crushing blow to his head and set his sights on Jack's exposed back. Dropping its massive weapon and charging at him with full force, the vile beast made a desperate attempt to kill the swordsman. Jack turned around just in time to receive the brunt of the attack to the front of his body. Belselk drove the battered and prone warrior into the mountain wall, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him slumped to the ground. As it stood over him, breathing heavily into his face, it turned its hideous and contorted face to Cecilia. Hanpan tried desperately to wake Jack up from his unconsciousness.  
  
"My my, little Princess...you're alone with me now. No more games, little lady!"  
  
"N-No...stay away from me," she said, backing up. "You monster...I hate you!"  
  
"That's no way to talk to your killer," Belselk retorted in a darker tone of voice. He was visibly getting angry now, walking towards her with intent. "I'm going to murder you, Cecilia...just like I murdered all of those little kids in Aldehyde."  
  
"You're disgusting...you beast."  
  
"Look at this," he said with a sick grin as he pointed to his right hand. "This is the hand that killed the citizens of Aldehyde. This is the hand that murdered your poor, precious subjects. Ha-ha-haaaaaaaa...let me show you what I did to one particular little boy." He picked up a large branch that had fallen off of a tree on the cliff above them. Putting his thumb and his index fingers on the branch, he crushed it without hardly exerting any strength whatsoever. Cecilia flinched at the snapping sound it made.  
  
"Did you see that, little Princess," he asked with a sadistic smile. " I crushed that boy's neck like I did this branch! And then he fell like a rag doll to the ground! Ha-ha-haaaaaaa! It was so easy...you humans are so frail and so easily broken, like toys. I can't have any fun with one of you for a while, so I go through a lot of toys in one day..."  
  
Cecilia broke down and started to cry at what she just heard. "You monster...leave Filgaia alone."  
  
"I can't, girl. I must kill you." Belselk reached his muscular, demonic arm over and grabbed his flail off of the ground. He raised it over his head, preparing to bring the bulbous spiked head of the chain crashing down on the frail and distraught woman. "This is the end of your life, Sorceress! For the Demon Race! For Mother! Ha-ha-haaaaaaa!" Suddenly, an aura of light surrounded the Guardian Statue. Belselk turned around to see, and Cecilia was paralyzed in fright. The Guardian Statue's aura grew even brighter, and then the statue exploded, bathing the entire summit in light.  
  
"Urrrgh, I can't see! I can't see," roared the goblin.  
  
"What is...this light," Cecilia said, shielding her eyes. "It's so warm..."  
  
Jack came to when he heard the explosion of the statue, and Hanpan hopped into his coat pocket. He automatically shielded his eyes also when he opened them up. "Uughh, what is....this? I feel warm..."  
  
The light remained for a few more moments, then faded away to reveal a mysterious figure floating in midair a small ways away of the summit grounds. The remaining light surrounding the figure faded out, exposing a large brown creature that looked like a dragon. One of its horns was broken, and it glared down at the Princess and the demon.  
  
"Innocent One...protector of the light...I am Denogenos.," it said in a soft voice.  
  
"Denogenos...a Guardian," she gasped.  
  
"A Guardian? I thought I destroyed the Guardian Statue," Belselk roared.  
  
"I am the Guardian of Mountains and Terrain. Innocent One, I will lend you my powers, if you choose to use them. I am at your aid, young one."  
  
"A Guardian...inside the statue...I thought you were gone," Cecilia said.  
  
"Release my powers, Innocent One. Let your light shine forth to purify the darkness that approaches."  
  
She got to her feet, as did Jack. The light had a healing effect on the two travelers, and they felt refreshed. Belselk was gaining its vision back, and it set its sights on the Princess. "You...wench! Die!"  
  
Cecilia turned to the beast and invoked a chant to release the power of the Guardian. "Protector of Mountains...a sea of endless land and terrain...I command you! Wash the evil that encroaches on Filgaia away!"  
  
Denogenos raised its massive arms in the air, opening its mouth. Inhaling the blizzard of Zenom Mountain, he exhaled and released a torrent of thin, jagged stones that resembled spears. Cecilia and Jack got up to flee the summit before the stone spears could make impact on the ground. Belselk could do nothing but look up towards the sky and see his imminent doom arriving.  
  
"The end...I'm through," is all it could say as it hung its head.  
  
Dozens of sharp, slender and long stones rained down on the mountain. Belselk was pierced numerous times through the heart, head and abdomen as each spear drove him backward a little. When the rain of stones ended, Belselk stood there a bloody mess, stumbling around and bleeding. Jack and Cecilia returned to witness the demise of Belselk as he stumbled toward the edge of the seemingly endless ravine of Zenom Mountain. He looked up one final time and uttered a few final words at the two of them.  
  
"You...cannot...prevent...Mother. You are...are...powerless...to...stop her...revival."  
  
Belselk took one final step back, plummeting off of the side of the ravine. Jack and Cecilia walked over to the edge, looking over the side. It was so foggy and snowy that they couldn't even see a bottom to the cliff. Cecilia stood nervously on the edge, prepared for anything that could possibly occur, like Belselk's return.  
  
"Is...is it dead," she asked Jack apprehensively.  
  
"Probably...it was one tough monster," he replied.  
  
"..."  
  
"Cecilia~~"  
  
"It's okay," she interrupted. "I'm fine. Just a little shaken. How about you?"  
  
"Just peachy," Jack quipped, managing a little smile.  
  
"Hmm, you're always fine," she said, trying to lighten up the mood.  
  
They both turned to the Guardian, Denogenos. Jack held Cecilia close to her, comforting her after that terrible attack. They looked on at the Guardian as it silently floated in the blizzard, staring at them with its fiery red eyes.  



	4. Legend Of Demons

Holmcross Project Deep: Legend Of Demons  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Nooooo! Mommy, mommy, wake up," a child's voice shrieked, partially drowned out by the crashing of the waves and the collapse of the ship. The girl with short blonde hair shook her mother's pale and slack torso. "Mommy, don't die!"  
  
"M....my dear...dear Jane, the woman lying on the hardwood floor of the ship said weakly. A small trickle of crimson ran out of her mouth and down her cheek. "They...are approaching, the Demons....Demons of yore...we may not be able to make it to our destination."  
  
"Mommy, the ship! Please don't die! Daddy will be so sad!"  
  
Suddenly, a portion of the ship's hull came crashing through, drenching both the little girl and the wounded woman with water. An angry sea, full with the fury of Filgaia, tossed and turned with rage. Their path to salvation...their path away from evil was disintegrating before their eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry...Jane. You have always been a good girl." The woman lifted her bloody arm, beckoning the girl to come closer. The girl nestled herself in her mother's soft and silky brown hair, clinging to her for dear life.  
  
"Mommy..."  
  
"My sweet, sweet Jane," she said, stroking her hair. "I will...never forget you, even in death. You are the...light of my life."  
  
"Mommy...I want to stay here. With you."  
  
"I will not remain...on this material coil for long," she tried to explain to her distraught and frightened child. "You see...death is..." She could not finish her sentence before coughing up a large amount of blood.  
  
"Mommy! I....I don't understand!"  
  
The woman was growing paler and weaker by the second. As she look outside through the gaping hole of the ship, she could see evil approaching. An entire flock of winged monsters with swords and spears were beginning to converge on the lone vessel on the sea. Even at the distance they were from them, and even through the violent sounds of wave after wave crashing onto the ship...the howls and screams of the monsters could be heard. The girl tried to turn her head to look as well, but her mother held it there fast with her remaining ounces of strength. She wanted to shield her child from the terror approaching for as long as possible, even if it meant her demise would impact even quicker.  
  
"Do not...look, my child. There is nothing out there but...devastation and horror."  
  
"I know," the girl replied sadly.  
  
"Your eyes are too full of vigor...and...hope for it to be crushed by those visions out there. That is for...adults."  
  
"I...I know."  
  
"Come nearer."  
  
The girl hugged her mother tightly again, and the mother whispered something inside of her ear as she did so.  
  
"My...locket."  
  
"What," the girl asked, confused.  
  
"My...my locket. Please...take it. Don't let me...die with it."  
  
"O-Okay," she agreed.  
  
"Now, Jane. Please...now!"  
  
The girl reluctantly agreed, fumbling around to find the lock to the necklace. She found it and began unhooking the loop on the back of her mother's neck and removing the bronze piece of jewelry. It was then she noticed that her hands were entirely drenched in a sticky crimson liquid. The back of the woman's neck was covered in blood- -her fur dress, the back of her head, the locket itself...coated in the woman's blood. As the ship rocked violently to the beat of the waves of the sea, the girl felt herself becoming dizzy. The smell of death, combined with the motion of the boat was becoming too much for her.  
  
"Jane...I...feel weak," she said, her voice almost inaudible at this point. "I am drained of...life."  
  
"M...mommy..."  
  
"I...am sorry...I could not...see you...grow up to be a fine...young woman."  
  
"..."  
  
"...Farewell, my...my only daughter." Through the darkness, the girl could feel her mother's body go slack. The heavy blood loss was too much for her to bear. Her time had finally come.  
  
"...Mommy," the girl asked. But she received no answer. "Mommy?"  
  
There was no response. After all this, after all the Maxwell Family did to escape the wrath of the Demons...now this. They had come too far to be killed. As Jane sat there, cradling her dead mother's torso in her arms, she thought of all the good times they had together. The adventures across the globe...meeting strange and interesting people in their travels...making friends with other kids her age...she remembered it all. But now that was a thing of the past. Now, things had taken a horrible turn in their desperate bid to find refuge away from the Demons. The girl sat in darkness for what seemed to be forever, until she heard heavy footsteps. They were in the same room of the ship she was in.  
  
"Who is it," Jane asked in fear, her voice trembling, "Who is it?"  
  
"..." Nothing but silence.  
  
"A...aah...show y-y-yourself. Please."  
  
"..." Again, nothing but the darkness and quiet, except for the howling of the demons and the crashing waves of the sea.  
  
"I...I feel weird," Jane said out loud. "I feel sick."  
  
Another wave hit the ship, tipping it sideways in the water a little. Jane clasped onto something that felt like a barrel sitting nearby, but unknowingly let go of the locket she had taken from her mother. Through her adjusted vision through the darkness, she saw her mother's corpse slide off into parts unknown. The girl tried to grasp her arm to stop it, but it was too late. Suddenly, a voice she recognized pierced through to her.  
  
"Jane? Are you in here?"  
  
"F...father?"  
  
"Jane! Come over here! Where are you?"  
  
"Father, father! I'm in here!"  
  
The girl stood up quickly, trying to maintain her balance over the wobbly vessel on the rough sea. All of a sudden, a shrill sound that sounded like a cross between a female's scream and a cat's meow filled the room. Jane thought it was the Demons outside, so she ignored it and continued on her path. As she made tiny steps forward to where she thought the voice was coming from, a soft light appeared in front of her. It truly was her father Nicholi with her. He had lit a torch to illuminate the path to himself. Nicholi stood there, waiting for her with open arms.  
  
"My baby, Jane," Nicholi said with obvious worry on his face" Come to me!"  
  
"Daddy, daddy! Mommy died! She died!"  
  
The light from the torch allowed both Nicholi and Jane to see a barely visible figure crumpled up against the opposite wall of the ship. A red trail of blood lined the floor from where she slid to where she arrived at. Nicholi glanced at the horrible sight before him, but seemed emotionally unaffected by the scene. He asked again for the girl to come to her.  
  
"Jane! We're almost to the island! I need to see that you are safe! Let's go!"  
  
"But...but Mommy~~"  
  
"We don't have time for that," Nicholi exclaimed, interrupting her. "She's dead, there's nothing that can be done! Now come on!"  
  
Jane was stunned at what she just heard. But now all that she wanted was to be in the arms of someone that she knew...and to be someplace comfortable. Following the direction of her father, she tiptoed over to him. Nicholi encouraged her, and even asked if she could move faster.  
  
"Jane, very good! Please hurry. We're almost there!"  
  
"I...I'm coming," Jane said. "I'm almost...there."  
  
Jane was about five feet away from her father now. Keeping her balance through the rocking of the ship, the howls of the Demons outside and the violent ocean storm, she managed to make it into her father's strong, warm arms. Jane nearly tripped on the final step, but Nicholi caught her and brought her to her feet.  
  
"Jane, my daughter! I...thought you were gone forever," the man said to his daughter.  
  
"Daddy, oh daddy," Jane said, beginning to cry over what happened.  
  
"Let's go, Jane. Let's get off this ship, quickly."  
  
"Okay," she agreed.  
  
The two headed toward the main doorway, about to leave when all of a sudden Jane remembered something. She felt her dress, her neck...but it wasn't there.  
  
"No! Mommy's locket, Jane yelled. "Mommy wanted me to have it!"  
  
"What," Nicholi asked. "You mean..."  
  
"Yes, Daddy! It was Mommy's last wish! So please let me get it!"  
  
With that, Jane decided to head back into the further depths of the storage room. She tried to, but her arm was firmly held in place. It seems Nicholi would not let go. Jane looked up at her father, asking him if she could retrieve it.  
  
"No," boomed Nicholi. "Come on, we have to get off this ship!"  
  
"But Mommy's necklace...I need it!"  
  
"For the last time...no," he exclaimed again. Jane was frightened at how her father was yelling at her now. He had never used that tone of voice with her...it was something new. Something she didn't like at all. Jane disobeyed her father and tried to tear her arm away from his hand, but it was impossible. His grip only tightened with each moment she tried to break free. His hand was becoming so tightly gripped to her arm that it was starting to hurt her now.  
  
"D-Daddy, let go! My arm," Jane protested.  
  
"No," Nicholi yelled at her. "You're not going anywhere, my delicious morsel!"  
  
The torch went out all of a sudden. Jane could've swore she heard her father laugh before it happened, but it was all a blur to her. She also could've swore his voice became higher-pitched. Demonic, even. But it was all a blur to her now. Jane stood there in the darkness with her father, the hand still tightly gripped to her arm.  
  
"D-Daddy? Mommy's locket..."  
  
"Gra-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaa," a shrill cackle that pierced the darkness began. "My delicious little morsel....your soul in dreams is ripe for the picking!"  
  
"D-Daddy," Jane asked, fearing something horrible was about to happen.  
  
"Your daddy is dead, little Jane," the shrill cat-like voice spoke. "I will be your 'parent' now!"  
  
"Noooo! Let go of me! Let go!" Jane tried to tear her arm away from the hand that had a hold of her again, but failed. The hand's warmth had begun to fade rapidly, and now all that remained was a frigid vice that bound her in place. As she stood there trapped, the torch became illuminated again. Jane looked up to see something truly horrible in the place of her father. A vicious cat/female combination that craved her very soul was now in front of her.  
  
"Gu-fu-fu-fu-fuuuuu," the demon chuckled. "I will have you, my dear...every last bit!" The demon took its other hand, nails sharp and all, and thrust it into the girl's chest.  
  
"Aaahhhhh!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Aaahhhhhhhh," a woman screamed, jolting up from her bed. A coat of sweat covered her brow and a stream of tears poured from both of her eyes as she sat up erect in her small bed on the ship. A young man was kneeling at bedside, holding her arm gently to comfort her. The young woman looked over quickly, saw her right arm in his hands and immediately tore it away from him.  
  
"Get away, you," The blonde yelled at him.  
  
"Miss Jane! Miss Jane," The man firmly tried to get through to her. "You were having another dream again, Miss Jane! I thought~~"  
  
"I don't care what you thought," Jane snapped at him. "I'm perfectly fine!"  
  
Jane got up out of bed, paying no mind to her manservant as she walked quickly over to the small desk on the other side of the cabin. She took a small piece of cloth from the drawer and wiped the partially dried-up tears and sweat off of her face. Jane looked in the mirror to see if she mad missed anything. Convinced that she hadn't, she walked over to the side of her bed, got her travel equipment and her ARM, and proceeded to leave the small quarters. Her servant said something to her before she left.  
  
"Miss Jane," he said humbly. "We're almost to the Cage Tower. I had planned on waking you when we arrived, but...now that is not the case."  
  
"Good," Jane replied, narrowing her eyes at him. "McDullen, don't screw this up for me! This is my big chance to become rich and famous! If you do, I'll never forgive you!"  
  
With that, she left the small room and slammed the door behind her. A detached and sullen McDullen was left standing in the cabin by himself, left to ponder what had just transpired. Jane had never been this caustic and irritable when she had woken from her short naps. He knew that she had a slight temper when she rose from a rest, but this time...it was extreme. He had never seen anything like this from her before. Left by himself after this explosion of anger, McDullen made a final conclusion about the situation.  
  
"She is," he thought to himself. "She's getting worse. She's changing into something horrible." He slowly walked over to the cabin window, where he saw Jane yelling at the sailors and Drake outside on the deck. It was a beautiful sunrise, and the sea was calm and relaxed...but that wasn't good enough for him. He knew better than that.  
  
"'Her' big chance? What about the kids at the orphanage? I knew it. It is an omen...I know it is..."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Four days had passed since Princess Cecilia's failure to save the Guardian Statue and destroy the chunk of the Demon Queen's heart on Mount Zenom. Belselk, one of the Demons they had encountered in Aldehyde was lying in wait for them there, all too aware of their plans to stop the resurrection of who they know now simply as 'Mother'. This 'Mother'...the matriarch of the encroaching Demon Race...what were her plans for Filgaia? Maybe total takeover? Destruction? Annihilation? Or something much, much worse veiled in darkness...this is what the Innocent One sought to know. To find out these plans and bring them to a grinding halt in their tracks. And, of course, she also wanted to get back her treasured heirloom, the mystic Tear Drop as well.  
  
Arriving in Baskar again, they headed towards the Chieftain's house. He was already waiting outside for them- -his connections with the Guardians of Past allowed him to divine their arrival back to the village. Maybe he even knew that they would fail...  
  
"You did not destroy the piece, did you," asked the Baskar Chief upon their arrival.  
  
Cecilia hung her head as Jack stood silently behind her. "Forgive me, Baskar Chief...there was someone else who knew of our plans and destroyed the Guardian Statue that had the piece of the Demon Queen's heart inside. We were too late."  
  
"I understand, I understand...come in, young warriors of light. Come and rest. Rest up for the next journey."  
  
"Thank you, Chief. We are exhausted from our journey," Cecilia said, accepting the offer.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Baskar Chief sat down on his designated fur rug, while Cecilia and Jack plopped down exhausted on an extra-layered bearskin rug with extra blankets. The helper bowed once again while leaving them to talk about their trials.  
  
"Well, I see," the Baskar Chief said. He took a long puff on his wooden pipe, filling the air with a misty haze of smoke. "So you will go to Ione Paua's domain."  
  
"Ione...whatsa," Jack replied with a confused look on his face.  
  
"Ione Paua, you doof," Hanpan said to him sitting on a nearby bed. "I think Ione Paua is the next Guardian trapped inside of a Guardian Statue."  
  
"Correct, my little grassland creature," the Chief said, grinning. "We call it Ione Paua's domain, simply because we do not use the same terms and words that you outsiders to the village use. But if you need me to explain, that place is what you people call Saint Centour."  
  
"I see now," Jack stated. "Come to think of it, I do remember seeing a large statue of a beast in the middle of Saint Centour when I was last there." The Chief of Baskar glared at him, insulted at how the swordsman called the Guardian a mere 'beast'. He quickly corrected himself to calm the old man's anger. "I mean, now that I know Ione Paua is a Guardian, I would never dare call him a beast."  
  
"Her," the old man corrected him. "Our Matron Saint Ione Paua, Guardian of Purity."  
  
"Aah, yes, right. 'Her', I meant. Oops."  
  
The Chief sighed, took another puff of his pipe and continued on. "You had no ship when you arrived here. So that means you cannot get there by sea."  
  
"Yes, about that," Cecilia inquired. "Saint Centour is halfway across the globe from here, if the map I have is correct. So what I was wondering is~~"  
  
"I am sorry, Innocent One," he said. "We do not use those vessels you call 'boats'."  
  
"Oh," she simply said back to him.  
  
"Well, now what will we do," Jack butted in with a grin. "We're stuck on a tiny landmass on the Outer Sea, there're no boats here to take us to Saint Centour...no pun intended, but we're stranded at sea without a paddle!"  
  
"Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho," the Chief chuckled heartily. "There is still hope. I can feel the breath of Zephyr in these brittle old bones of mine!" The Chief slowly rose to his feet, as did the duo. They followed him over to a small shelf lined up in a corner of the room. Reaching up to the top shelf, he tried to pull something off of it. But he could not, and fell backwards. Jack caught him before he fell on the floor.  
  
"Hmm, quick...like a wolf," the Chief complimented him. "I am glad I have agile hands behind me."  
  
"Well, I wasn't going to let you fall," Jack firmly stated. He let go of the elder, letting him regain his balance on both feet. "Here, let me get whatever it was you were going for." Jack, at the Chief's direction, easily reached back behind on the top shelf and grabbed a small box carved out of oak. Jack handed him the box, and the Chief held it to his face.  
  
"This box," he said. "This box was carved out of wood from an oak tree from Zenom Mountain. I would never place anything so precious and valuable in any other container."  
  
"So, what's inside," Jack inquired, not really enthused with all of the drama.  
  
"I will open the box and remove the contents."  
  
His wrinkled old fingers fumbling around with the tiny handle on the front, the Baskar Chief opened up the tiny box to reveal what was so important. He pulled out a small glowing orb with a live flame inside.  
  
"This is the pride of Baskar, warriors of virtue. This is the Kizim Flame."  
  
"Whatsa Flame," Jack asked, again confused. "Looks like a child's toy."  
  
"Jack," Hanpan scolded him. "Kizim Flame! Remember that!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah..."  
  
"So, how is this supposed to help us cross the ocean," Cecilia asked the old leader.  
  
"Ahem! Well, this flame was given to ancient Baskarians of old by the Elw. As a final parting gift, we received this as a present of good faith from the Elw Tribe. It has been passed down from generation to generation- -from my father's father's father...to his son...to his son, and so on. Now I am the sole keeper of the Kizim Flame."  
  
"Oh, I see," Cecilia replied. "But how will it help us?"  
  
"Ahem! Getting to my point," he continued. "This flame is rumored to hold mysterious powers beyond human comprehension. Even we Baskarians can't understand what the flame inside is trying to tell us. But we know it has a strange and mysterious magical property inside." He gave the flame to Cecilia. "I regretfully have no other path of recourse but to give or sacred treasure from the Elw to us, the Kizim Flame, to you who fight in the Guardians' place. I know you'll be able to make good use of it. Please, use it to the best of your abilities."  
  
Cecilia's face turned into one of shock when she held the orb close to her. "It...can't be! It feels like a Guardian's power!"  
  
"Yes, Innocent One. It just may be the will and faith of the Guardians of Filgaia inside of that magical orb."  
  
"I understand...I understand now," she said under her breath."  
  
"Very well," the Chief concluded. "I have done all I can for you now. It is up to you young people to save our Filgaia from the Demon Queen now. Tomorrow you will leave our humble village in search of other Guardian Statues. There is an ancient building northeast to this village which has a strange mechanism stored inside. This building is rumored to have been built by the Elw, shortly before they left for another dimension. I do not know if that orb has anything to do with the building, but you should look for more clues there."  
  
"I understand, Mr. Baskar Chief," Cecilia said, thanking him. "Thank you for all you've done to help us."  
  
"Do not thank me, young one. Thank the Guardians who fight to maintain the light in this turbulent world."  
  
"I see. You are correct."  
  
"Good night, Innocent One, her swordsman, and his grassland creature. May the Guardians bless you on your journey."  
  
With that, the Baskar Chief left the small hut. Both warriors and their small blue friend were very exhausted from their ordeals on Zenom Mountain, and they instantly fell into a deep sleep shortly after their talk with the Chief. Slumbering peacefully, they knew not what 'fate' had in store for them in their trials to come.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Meanwhile, across the world, another young person also slept just as soundly as the other two. This man with blue hair had set up a tent a little ways inside of the now-defunct Arctica Kingdom, after walking through the shallows towards the destroyed castle. Rudy Roughnight left Court Seim four days ago, bidding the children and residents goodbye in a search for his past. Nicholi Maxwell, the man who had taken him in after his harrowing trial as a shipwreck victim-turned ocean drifter, was especially moved at the lad's farewell get-together. It was an all-around joyful and memorable moment, as the entire village had become attached to him in those short weeks he resided there. It was something he never received in Surf Village, the place that made him into a rogue and scapegoat. Cradling a long, cylinder-shaped black piece of metal in his sleep, Rudy recalled in his dreams the day he finally left Court Seim. As he bid them goodbye...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Everyone, thank you. Thank you for accepting me when I needed it the most," Rudy tearfully said to the crowd gathered at the entrance to the town. "I'm leaving on a journey of self-discovery. Please, all of you...lend me your luck and good faith."  
  
"Yes," a man's voice shouted from the crowd. "Rudy, I'll be praying for you!"  
  
"I shall pray for you too, my boy," an elderly woman in the front offered.  
  
"Me too," a little boy said. "Odoryuk saved you. He must have plans for you."  
  
Nicholi Maxwell walked up beside him and offered him his blessings. "Rudy, since you landed on this small landmass and came into our tiny town, you've livened up the place and it's inhabitants. I don't know exactly what it is about you, and I don't think I'll ever know, But we've all grown attached to you, and we all hate to see you leave us so soon. So that's why I've decided to give you a little going-away present. You know to remember us by." Nicholi motioned to someone in the crowd, and a large, muscular man made his way through the people. He was carrying something shaped like a large tube wrapped up in green paper, topped off with a red bow on the top. The man placed it down on the ground before Rudy and stepped back. Nicholi continued on with his little talk.  
  
"Go ahead, Rudy. Open it up."  
  
"Hmm," he wondered. "You're giving me a present?"  
  
"Of course, my boy! You didn't think you were going to leave without getting a present from me, did you?"  
  
"Well, thanks Mr. Maxwell, sir."  
  
"Oh, come on Rudy! I told you that it was all right to be casual with me!"  
  
Rudy laughed and opened up the present with a smile on his face. He felt like a little kid again, when he got a present on his 'birthday' every year from his father Zepet. It made him remember the good times...the times he knew and loved. He tore the wrapping paper off, stunned to find what his present really was.  
  
"Hope you like it, Rudy," Nicholi said, patting him on the back. "I fixed it all up for you!"  
  
"I...I," was all he could say.  
  
"Oh, no need to be so coy, Rudy," Nicholi said to him. The crowd laughed and encouraged him to show his emotions. Rudy was brought to tears, and the crowd all gathered around him to comfort him.  
  
"It'll be fine, Rudy," the old woman from before assured him. " You'll be back to see us, right?"  
  
"Y-Yeah," was all he could say.  
  
"Cheer up, Mr. Rudy," Lilly, the girl from the beach said to him. "I'm not scared of you anymore. I know that deep down you're a nice person and that it was a miracle that you lived."  
  
"Thanks, Lilly," Rudy said, thanking her with a thorough tussling of her hair. Lilly enjoyed it when he did that to her hair. The girl's grandfather known as Gregory came up to him and wished him well also.  
  
"Kind sir, my granddaughter dies not lie. It was a miracle you were saved. Lucadia, the Guardian of the Seas was angry that day, but Odoryuk saved you I firmly believe that."  
  
"Thank you too, Gregory," Rudy told him. "I know. It was a miracle and still is that I'm even alive to this day. That's why I need to leave. It would seem like I was wasting the Guardians' offerings if I stayed here."  
  
The old man, being a faithful believer in the gods of Filgaia, understood his sentiments and why he wanted to leave. "I would probably do the same thing If I were in your shoes. I wish you the best of luck on your journey, Rudy."  
  
"Thank you sir," he said again. "Thank all of you...for believing in me and accepting me."  
  
As he left the town, he turned around and waved goodbye to the citizens of Court Seim. They responded by cheering and waving back to him. With his present, an ARM custom-fitted by Nicholi for the blue-haired man strapped to his back, Rudy Roughnight walked off into the sunset northward to the shallows leading to the realm of the destroyed Arctica Kingdom. To the place where Zepet Roughnight was once famous...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As he lay there sleeping in his tent, Rudy smiled- -his dreams pleasant and smooth. But new things awaited him tomorrow...new things that would change his life forever.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next day, Rudy traveled even further into the icy continent of Arctica Kingdom. Land of cold and warriors as it was called before its destruction, there was a good chance that clues remained about Zepet Roughnight. Maybe there were clues left as to what happened to cause the terrible tragedy.  
  
The young man approached a large structure in the middle of the continent. From what he could tell it looked strange- -not like a normal castle would look like, especially if it was destroyed overnight by an unknown force. From a frozen plateau at a distance, he could vaguely see what the structure looked like. But a strange, red light was emitting from the ground, blocking out his full vision.  
  
"What is that," he asked himself. "Is that Arctica?"  
  
Suddenly, what sounded like a slab of metal hitting the ground made a slight clanking sound from behind him. Rudy whirled around, eyes darting back and forth to see if anyone was there with him. Concluding that it was probably his Bazooka hitting a small rock jutting from the ground, he turned around to look at the mysterious structure again. The wind was blowing gently, and fragile snowflakes fell from the sky. Rudy stood erect at the tip of the plateau, deciding on whether to advance on the structure or to hold his ground and look at a distance. His adventurous spirit soon made the decision for him, however.  
  
"I've got to see this up close," he said aloud.  
  
Climbing down the wall of the plateau, Rudy carefully made his way over to the structure that held his curiosity firmly in place. As he got closer, he soon realized that the building in point was not a castle like he thought, but some sort of mysterious large metallic sphere-like hovel.  
  
"What is this thing? It looks out of this world."  
  
Rudy was soon right in front of it now. Indeed, a red light emanated from the ground, completely circling the structure. Not even knowing what it was or where it was coming from, he concluded that it was probably a forcefield of some sort designed to protect it.  
  
"I see, a shield...interesting. This is very advanced technology. I've never in my life seen something like this."  
  
All of a sudden, another metal clanking sound came from behind him. Rudy turned around, but saw nothing behind him except for an open field of snow. And now, his conclusion was different from before. No jutting rocks or obstacles around for his Bazooka to hit, he now believed there was someone there with him? But...who? Rudy inhaled the icy air, catching his breath. His heart was beating a mile a minute now.  
  
"It...smells like metal," Rudy said unknowingly.  
  
Then, it happened. It got quiet. Too quiet for his liking, anyway. The wind seemed to stop and disappear immediately after he said these words. The snow no longer fell from the sky after he said these words. Something was very amiss, and he was at a loss to describe why. But if he knew anything for sure, it was that someone was in his presence near this gigantic metallic sphere. Rudy looked up and saw an obvious large shadowy figure standing on the plateau he was just on. Acting on instinct and reflex, Rudy unlocked the Bazooka and placed it on his shoulder. But by the time he looked back up from unlocking the lock, it was gone.  
  
"...No, it was...just there," he told himself silently. "Where did it go?"  
  
Arming the weapon on his shoulder, Rudy trudged forward through the snow. With each step of his, metal clanking sounds paralleled them. When Rudy stopped, the clanking halted as well.  
  
"Where are you," he yelled aloud at the open air. "Show yourself, whoever you are! I promise I won't hurt you!"  
  
"You should be more worried about me hurting you," came a dark, brooding reply.  
  
Rudy's eyes widened again. As he turned around towards the Photosphere, he looked up to see a large figure come crashing down upon him through the chilly air. The brunt edge of the figure's spear impacting the lad's cranium, Rudy was knocked out cold by the unknown assailant. Whoever it was...the assailant was fast and unrelenting. The large mass of armor picked up the slack warrior from the snow-covered plains and threw him over his shoulder. Heading toward the entrance of the building shaped like a sphere, the unconscious Rudy and the mysterious figure disappeared from sight.  
  
The Bazooka remained forgotten outside, small drops of blue liquid covering the barrel.  



	5. A Birth?

Holmcross Project Deep: A Birth...?  
  
  
  
  
  
"Beautiful...simply beautiful," a female's voice came from somewhere. It was deep and sensual, speaking directly into the prone figure's left ear.  
  
"Huh," a familiar male voice asked.  
  
"You."  
  
"Aah...yes."  
  
"Do you know me," she asked. "Can you see me?"  
  
"No. I...my head is dizzy. Say, where am I anyway?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"You'll be fine," the female voice calmly stated. "You're still alive after all."  
  
"I can only see black..."  
  
"That's good to know."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind. Furthermore, you are trapped."  
  
"Trapped?" There was now a tinge of fear in the male voice. "H-Hey! Why am I trapped?"  
  
"You were trespassing. We don't like trespassers in our land."  
  
The male tried to move his body, but couldn't budge a muscle. He felt strong, hard restraints on his arms, legs and neck. "Urrrgh...restraints?"  
  
"That's right. You aren't going anywhere. Sorry."  
  
"It's metal, the man pointed out astutely. "I'm trapped in metal."  
  
Slow, clacking footsteps could be heard moving across the floor. By the reverberations of the sound, the man could tell that the floor was metallic and not wooden. But the sole, important question that lingered in his mind through all of his numbness made him wonder.  
  
"Where am I," he asked.  
  
The footsteps stopped, leaving only the sound of what seemed to be machinery humming at him at a close distance. Now the sounds were flushing in- -something that beeped at timed intervals, a continuous low clicking noise that repeated itself over and over again...where was this?  
  
"Why don't you tell me," the voice said all of a sudden in his right ear. If the man wasn't restrained, he would've jumped in shock.  
  
"I don't know! I...I can't see!"  
  
"Good. Anyway, this will be your new home for awhile. Pretty soon you won't even remember who you 'were', hm-hm-hm..."  
  
A low, seductive laugh penetrated the near-silence of this place, sending a chill up the spine of the restrained man. The footsteps came again, becoming softer and softer until a quick whooshing sound could be heard. After a few more clacks against the floor, the whooshing sound was heard again. Then after that, there was only the humming and the beeping again.  
  
"...Is she gone," he asked to no one in particular. "Am I alone?"  
  
"Not exactly my pet," came a lifeless, grating voice from somewhere.  
  
The trapped man was shocked again. He wasn't alone. Now, it seemed, he was in the presence of something horrible. He could tell by the sound of 'its' voice...whatever it was with him could not possibly be human. The low clicking sound in the background had ceased, he noticed.  
  
"Who are you," the bound man nervously asked whoever it was who was in his company.  
  
"I am nobody," the mechanical voice responded. "And yet I am somebody."  
  
"...What?"  
  
"Let me explain. I am your puppeteer. And you are my marionette. Got it?"  
  
"What do you...mean by that?"  
  
A long silence had resulted after that question. The air around the man had gotten chilly and heavy all of a sudden. Now it was a dire situation that warranted some sort of immediate action. But he couldn't move now. He felt something cold snake across the exposed skin of his left temple, making him scream out in terror. After that, he could feel a wet sensation on the same spot he had been touched at.  
  
"W-What is that," he asked out. "What did you do to me?"  
  
"Helping you to see," replied that wicked, metallic voice in his left ear.  
  
"To see? My vision...what happened to it?"  
  
"This won't hurt...too much," the voice said, ignoring his question. "Here it comes."  
  
Before the man could say anything, he felt something abruptly pierce the left side of his head. Crying out in pain, the person partially raised his body off of the table he was restrained on, nearly breaking the restraints.  
  
"Aaaaaghhh," he screamed. "God, my head! My....aaaaaghh!"  
  
"Calm down," the metallic voice said, lacking any sort of sympathy. "It's almost done! You'll break the needle if you move around like that!"  
  
"Aaaaggh, you...you monster! Aaaghh!"  
  
The pain ceased as quickly as it began, leaving the man limp and dizzy on the table. He now felt slightly heavy and numb, but not numb enough to feel something cover the left side of his head. By the feel of the material, it was probably cloth to cover the puncture. But he didn't care about that now- -he just wanted to get out of there. Almost instantaneously, color and figures began to focus and light up, beginning to restore his vision.  
  
"My...eyes," he said, exhausted and dizzy.  
  
"My toy is getting its vision restored," the voice said. "That's it. You will see again at my doing."  
  
What was now dark and dim was becoming clearer in his eyes. At first, the man could only see a blotchy white figure hovering over him. But now, after his vision had been fully restored to what it was, what he was seeing frightened him. A figure with face masked in gold and jewels loomed over him- -its eyes narrowed and red as blood. Turning his head, the man saw that indeed the being wasn't human- -it's body was elongated and it wore a long white robe that covered its entire body. At its end, a metal tail snaked along the floor behind it.  
  
"What are you," he asked weakly.  
  
"Hm-hm-hm," the hulking, robed figure laughed; its crimson red eyes narrowing ever further. "The question you should be asking is 'what am I?' Sss-sss-sss-sss-sss..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Princess Cecilia and Jack Van Burace, setting off from Baskar the very next day in an attempt to halt the resurrection of the leader of the Demon Race, arrived at the mysterious temple that was rumored to have been built by the Elw. After traveling and resting for two more days, they finally stood at the entrance of the Elw Temple that could possibly be a key factor in accomplishing their goal. The large, multi-storied stone building shaped like a pyramid loomed over them, moss and vines covering its foundation in a show of its age.  
  
"Breathtaking," the girl exclaimed, taking a huge gulp of crisp, fresh air in. "Hey Jack, this is fantastic!"  
  
"Yeah, it looks great," Jack replied in his rustic voice. "Hm, wonder what the Elw would leave in something like this? What do you think, Hanpan?"  
  
The critter, sitting on his shoulder, responded. "The ancient Elw Temple...I bet this specific temple hasn't even been touched. I recall the people of Baskar have great respect for other civilizations. I don't think anyone's even been in here."  
  
"Well, good for us," Jack said with a grin. "Hey, we just may get rich after all!"  
  
Cecilia turned to him, a little angry at what he said. "What? Hey, this isn't about money! We're looking for Guardian Statues!"  
  
"I know, I know..."  
  
Jack walked ahead of her, standing directly at the open entrance of the building. He turned around, still sporting that grin on his face when he said, "But even so...are you saying that I can't get rich?"  
  
"Ooohh," she muttered. "You can be so mean sometimes!"  
  
"Heh-heh-heh," the swordsman chuckled as he entered ahead of her. Rolling her eyes, she followed him into the gigantic structure.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Inside the Elw Temple, the air was heavy with age. Moss partially covered the stone floors, and an inside pond teemed with aquatic life. Carved images of stone angels stood parallel solemnly on each side of the interior room, gazing at each other in silence as they emphasized the sheer ancient feeling that the temple gave off. Small man-made waterfalls lined up on the opposite wall poured water out into the pond. That was the only sound audible inside of the temple- -that of the waterfalls.  
  
"Ugh, the air is heavy," Cecilia pointed out while breathing heavily. "Are all ancient temples this way, Mister Treasure Hunter?"  
  
"I guess. But you'll get used to it. What's a little heavy air to the Innocent One, eh?"  
  
"Ha-ha, very funny," she sarcastically countered. "It's not as easy as you think."  
  
"I know, sorry," he apologetically said.  
  
"That's fine. Say...there's something over there. Want me to take a look," she asked him.  
  
"By yourself? Hmm..."  
  
"Oh, there is a safe aura being emitted from here. I felt it immediately when we arrived, so there shouldn't be any monsters in here."  
  
Walking over toward a stairwell in the left portion of the chamber, she turned and waved at him. "Hey, it'll be fine! Trust me! And besides...I feel something magical down there. Let me take care of it."  
  
"Ahh, fine. Do whatever you want. Call out if you need help."  
  
"Okay," Cecilia quickly said, eager to explore the ruins. "Hey Hanpan! Come with me...please?"  
  
The tiny wind mouse hopped off from Jack's shoulder, scurried over to Cecilia and made a quick leap onto hers. Both waved again, then proceeded down the illuminated stairwell into the lower depths of the structure. Jack turned his head to one of the stone angels before him.  
  
"Angels of destiny...will you protect me," he asked the sculpture. Of course it didn't respond though- -it only looked on with its sorrowful eyes.  
  
Jack the swordsman plopped down against a nearby wall and pulled out a smoke. He had gotten this special from Baskar before he left- - the Chief was especially fond of the cloven leaf flavor of the Northern Plains. This particular smoke was a pine-flavored cigar that he enjoyed smoking regularly on a daily basis. Putting the tip into his mouth, Jack pulled his lighter out and lit the end of it up. He inhaled the sweet flavor of the cigar and exhaled a thin cloud of smoke, savoring every bit of taste of the drug.  
  
"Mmm," he sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. "Those Baskarians have pretty good taste. Better than the ones I get out east, that's for sure."  
  
Jack slowly closed his eyes, not trying to drift off but just to let himself go at this moment. It was quiet and peaceful...he hadn't been this tranquil in years. The trial he endured over the time he adventured with Princess Cecilia...the times he himself adventured as a treasure hunter...all of it would be remembered. But a certain time was one that he wanted desperately to return to. A time of peace, stability and harmony. And a time of love. Love...that emotion he had forgotten. What was it? How did it occur? And why did he forget it over the years? Jack's mind slowly drifted off into places unknown as he began to remember the good times...the good times of Arctica...and the good times with 'her'.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A youth with short, cropped dirty blonde hair stood erect, looking out over the snow-covered fields of Arctica on the roof of the castle. Gripping his short sword with his right hand, he thought about nothing but his weakness. His position and his lack of strength, he thought, would probably be the end of him. He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear a stunning, beautiful woman with long red hair and blue eyes come up behind him.  
  
"Garrett, my sweet," chirped the soothing voice. "Here you are. I could not find you, so I became wracked with worry."  
  
"You," the youth said back in a low and saddened voice, not even bothering to turn around. "Why do you want to talk to me? I'm weak."  
  
"You are not weak, Garrett."  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"Please don't say that," she asked him kindly. "Listen...sometimes, we think we are destined for greatness. And sometimes, we are abruptly let down with a hard thud to the ground." The woman made her way over beside him, gripping his left hand. "You are not weak. I, personally, say that without lying."  
  
"Hah, you're talking to a lowly Arm Guard," Garret laughed pitifully. "An Arm Guard! Do you know how pathetic that is? Why couldn't I be the Breastplate? Or even the Sheath? I know you don't lie, but now even I am not sure about myself."  
  
"Garrett, I~~"  
  
"Garret sighed out loud and turned to her. "You don't deserve to have someone as pathetic and as weak as me as your Arm Guard. I know in my heart that I must continue my training to become a better Warrior Rank...for you."  
  
"Listen to me," she asked him. He tried to turn his gaze away from her, but the female held his face there steady with her hand. "Please...do not turn away."  
  
"But~~"  
  
"You are not weak, Garrett. In fact, you are one of the most brave and courageous men I've met in my life. Warrior Rank is nothing but an old army tradition in the elite forces of the Arctica kingdom. It means nothing to me...nothing as long as you are there to protect me."  
  
"An old...tradition. Yes, I know. But even so, It is important to me."  
  
"As it is to me as well," the kind woman reassured Garrett. "But if it serves no purpose but to clog the minds of the people that I feel close to...if it will only create chaos in the hearts of people that I care about...I have no need for such trivial routines."  
  
"...Aah..." Garrett could say nothing- -he could only stare into her eyes.  
  
"Tell me you believe it too," she asked with a wan smile on her face.  
  
"Well, of course. Traditions aren't everything, but~~"  
  
"Traditions are nothing," she said. "Nothing, as long as the people who act them out close their hearts to the obvious. I will not close my heart to you, Garrett."  
  
"...But..."  
  
Suddenly, the female's eyes lit up. "Hey, I have something that will cheer you up! Think of it this way...if you are the Arm Guard, and I am the Sword Princess, then in a way you are the most important piece of armor."  
  
Garrett looked at her as if he didn't understand. "How so?"  
  
"You are the Arm Guard, right?"  
  
"Yeah. So?"  
  
"Well, like I said...I am the Sword Princess. And you are the Arm Guard. Together, along with the Breastplate, Helmet, Shield and Greaves, we are part of the seven Warrior Elite."  
  
"Um...yes," he agreed, not sure what she was trying to convey.  
  
"Think about it, Garrett. As the Arm Guard, what primary purpose do you serve?"  
  
"I protect the arm, of course."  
  
"All right, and the arm with the shield couldn't possibly carry a sword, right?"  
  
"Um...yes, that's right. What are you trying to say?"  
  
"Well," she said matter-of-factly. "Then the arm with the arm guard has to carry the sword. And you, being the Arm Guard, must protect the arm which carries me. Do you understand now?"  
  
After a few moments, Garrett's eyes lit up as well. Finally, he had understood where this was going. "Oh! So I have to protect the sword!"  
  
"Yes, Garrett...protect the sword. Protect me."  
  
In a flash, the young man swept the red-haired woman off of her feet, hugging her and lifting her off the ground.  
  
"Whoooah," the woman moaned. "You seem happy now! I'm glad, hee-hee!"  
  
"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! I feel stronger now!" Garrett put her down on the ground again, regaining his composure at that outburst of feelings. The woman patted herself down and fixed her hair.  
  
"Well, all you needed was a little inspiration. Your strength was always there, but you couldn't draw it out."  
  
"Yes, but without you I wouldn't have realized how important I was!"  
  
"Well...let's just call it even."  
  
"You're my muse you know," he said to her. "A muse sent from heaven."  
  
The two people embraced in a long hug, not wanting to let each other go at this time. It was so perfect...they were meant for each other. The Arm Guard and the Sword Princess. Hand in hand they would go forever, protecting one another through trial after trial in life.  
  
"I love you Garrett," the woman softly spoke.  
  
"I...love you too. I'll love you forever, Elmina..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Elmina...forever I'll...love you," Jack said softly to the open air.  
  
"Who's Elmina," a upbeat female voice came from out of nowhere.  
  
Jack jumped instantly, shocked to see Cecilia and Hanpan standing right over him. Through all of the daydreaming the swordsman hadn't even seen the two come up beside him, returning from the lower levels of the Elw Temple. Getting up quickly, Jack flicked his nearly charred cigar into the open pond and cleared his throat.  
  
"Aah...hey Cecilia," he said happily, blushing. "How did it go? You sure didn't take long, heh!"  
  
"It was easy," she replied. "Elw technology isn't that tough to comprehend, amazingly. Say~~"  
  
Jack interrupted, getting to the point. "Err, Cecilia...how much of that did you hear?"  
  
"Hm? Oh, well I just heard something about an 'Elmina'. Why do you ask?"  
  
Instantly sighing, he felt relieved at this revelation. "Thank goodness," he muttered under his breath. "Hmm, maybe we should get a move-on right about now."  
  
"Hey, hey, hey! Come on, tell me about Elmina! Is she a girlfriend or something? Or maybe she's your mother!" The girl wasn't letting him off of the hook that easily.  
  
"No thanks. I'm fine."  
  
"Ple----ase," she pleaded. "Pretty please with cherries on top?"  
  
"Nope, sorry. You're out of luck, kid!"  
  
Jack walked away, leaving Cecilia and Hanpan behind. The Princess was left hopping up and down, angry at being called a kid as the swordsman departed for the back of the ancient structure.  
  
"Hey! Don't call me that, you! I'm 17 and I'm not a kid," she yelled. "Come on Hanpan! Let's go teach that Jack a lesson!"  
  
Cecilia ran off, wind mouse clinging to her clothing as she ran after the man who had left her behind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Last call," a chiseled stone-faced sailor wearing a black bandanna bellowed from the crow's nest of the S.S. Drake, the ship that arrived on the beaches of the northern continent. "Last call for Saint Centour- -all departing must leave now! Last call for Saint Centour on the northern continent!"  
  
Of course, there were only two people getting off the ship. With McDullen, the silent, loyal manservant in tow with heavy baggage in each hand, Jane Maxwell made her way towards the planked staircase on the side of the ship. In the warm, soothing glow of the morning sun, feelings overflowed and rage erupted in what was considered something completely outrageous and unnatural.  
  
"Get a move on, McDullen," Jane snapped at him, her cold blue eyes freezing his heart. "And don't drop my bags, do you understand? I've got my ARM in there!"  
  
"Y-yes, Ms. Jane. As you wish."  
  
"Aah, good," she replied unmercifully. "Hmm, perhaps you aren't too useless after all. I'll give you a raise when we return to Court Seim. How does 10 gella sound? Hee-hee..."  
  
"..." When she turned her back he gave her a wretched look, grinding his teeth with fury. What he wished to do to her went beyond any known words. But then again, he knew in his heart that it wasn't really 'her' talking.  
  
The captain of the ship, Drake, approached the duo with a bottle of liquor in hand. He was unusually jovial today, laughing heartily and walking with a certain swagger that just emphasized it even more.  
  
"My lovely tulip Jane," Drake commented. "I was ordered to bring you to Saint Centour for free, and I did just that...I am quite sure you will have no troubles from here on out."  
  
"Gee, I'd hope so," Jane muttered. She turned around to see a laboring McDullen trying to balance three large cases all by himself. "I said don't drop them! Geez!"  
  
"Errgh...I know, Ms. Jane. Give it time."  
  
"Yeah yeah," she muttered again, not turning back around again to see Drake giving her a strange look. "So Drake...where are you heading from here?"  
  
"Off to Port Timney. I've got some business there to take care of, heh-heh..."  
  
"Like..."  
  
"Oh, you wouldn't believe it," he explained with a wide grin on his face. "There's this short little dwarf of a man named Bartholomew who is getting married in a week or so. I personally find it hard to believe that someone like him could marry ANYONE, let alone a beautiful young woman!"  
  
"Hmm, interesting...yep."  
  
"So that's the case. That, and I've got a big sell of Lanbasta Weed to deliver. Great for business."  
  
"Well, all right. Thank you again for the ride, Mr. Drake. The Maxwell Family owes you, I guess."  
  
"Oh, far from it," Drake said. "If anyone owes anyone, it's me who is on the giving end."  
  
"Thanks. See ya."  
  
Jane and McDullen got off of the ship via stairs that were pushed out onto shore. As they both watched the stairs retract back into the side of the large vessel, they waved kindly to send them off. The ship hoisted its grand white sails and leisurely glided away towards the clear blue horizon. Both people were left standing alone in the warm white sands on the edge of the northern continent, ready to continue on their quest.  
  
"Let's get a move on. Well be there in about a day or so," Jane said with authority, staring at McDullen. "Time is money, like Drake said! The sooner we kill that Night Gaunt, the better!"  
  
The feisty femme fatale with firepower quietly scouted ahead, leaving her servant behind in the open sands. All the man could do was stand there with the large packages in his hands and look on as this strange change of attitude altered the woman who had been kind and gentle before.  
  
"This is going to be a long trip," he spoke woefully, shaking his head as he followed her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I still feel sick...why me?"  
  
"What are you talking about," Jack asked Cecilia, who still felt the aftereffects of the trip through Elw technology into the stratosphere. "I loved it! Such a rush...those Elw truly are amazing."  
  
"I always thought you were insane. Now it has been verified beyond the shadow of a doubt." Cecilia doubled over, trying to settle the contents of her stomach.  
  
"Hm, crazy to you is a way of life for me! That was more fun than dodging runaway homicidal boulders in the Memory Temple!"  
  
"..."  
  
"So, that Stoldark. That Guardian of Water or whatever said that we're near Saint Centour."  
  
"Umm...yep," interrupted Hanpan, who was lodged inside Jacks front coat pocket. "Apparently a certain power resides in this region- -specifically Saint Centour- -that acts as a prison to seal the evil power of the Demon Queen's heart. Or a chunk of it, that is."  
  
"Well, let's just go get that Guardian, destroy that demon heart, and end it all," Jack reiterated. "This time we won't fail."  
  
Cecilia pulled out a map that she had bought before she left her native kingdom of Aldehyde, showing all the known towns, cities and landmarks in the world. Hanpan hopped out of Jack's coat pocket and jumped onto her shoulder to get a better look. In the dim light of the Elw Temple Transporter Room, it was hard to make out anything. Jack offered up his lighter to see better.  
  
"Let us see," Cecilia slowly said, trying to pinpoint their position. "From Stoldark's information...we should be in the northernmost temple...which is right here."  
  
"So it would take us about..." Jack tried to figure out.  
  
"...Around three days," Hanpan concluded. "Give or take a half-day or so, depending on how stupid a certain swordsman who shall remain unnamed acts."  
  
Cecilia giggled as Jack blushed in embarrassment. "Why you! See if you get any food from me from now on!"  
  
"I'm grown up, I can hunt my own food," the critter retaliated. He also shook his whiskers at the man. "So there!"  
  
"All right, come on you two! Let's just go..."  
  
"Hmph...well I never," Jack muttered.  
  
The two could-be heroes, accompanied by their blue mouse friend, set off for Saint Centour. Their goals in mind and their actions pre-planned, all three felt they would emerge victorious in their quest for peace, life, and prosperity. New people, new places...and new hardships were on their path in their search for the Guardians and the mystical Tear Drop. Maybe, just maybe...they would succeed. Maybe.  
  
In other places, however, something truly sinister was beginning.  
  
A birth.  
  
A horrible demon birth that could potentially lay waste to all life on Filgaia.  
  
Things that would never be said...things that would never be told...  
  
The birth...of the Child of Malduke.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In a small, iron-plated room, with large panels, machinery and display screens on the walls, a 'human' laid restrained to a table. Three malicious beings encircling him, an event that could change the future of Filgaia was about to take place...  
  
"Rudy Roughnight," the large, hulking mass of metal that was learned to be called Zeikfried spoke in a metallic tome. He was standing on Rudy's right. "For the life of us...for the life of the Demons, as humans call us...you must become..."  
  
"...The Child," the one with the gold mask and crimson eyes finished. He had become known simply as Alhazad. The dog-like mass hovered over his head, looking down on Rudy as he lay on the hard steel table, unable to do anything. "The Child...you will become our..."  
  
"Saviour," uttered the soothing, seductive voice. The enchanting voice of Lady Harken, the mysterious flame-haired female Demon who, unlike the other two, seemed almost human. But not exactly human, as was sensed when she left her thoughts known. She stood to the far left of the man, draped in red cape and cuirass. "I hate humans. I despise them all. Especially the people of the now-defunct Arctica. You don't know how I wish I was there. To feel the warm, dripping blood flowing over my hands."  
  
Alhazad rotated over to meet her gaze. "You have no idea how sexy you sound when you talk death like that. It makes someone like me feel almost...alive."  
  
In response, Harken materialized her weapon of choice- -a scythe- -in thin air and aimed the hook directly at the crown of its his mask.  
  
"You will cease all useless banter before I split you in two!"  
  
"Oh yes, keep on going. You can be quite the temptress when you desire to be," the beast retorted in its grating voice, it's eyes changing color to a bright yellow. "If I had feelings, I would be giddy with enthusiasm right now."  
  
"Die," screamed the warrior woman, raising her scythe to hack it into strips. Zeikfried stepped over before she could possibly act and gripped her hand so tight that it caused her weapon to dematerialize.  
  
"Do not forget your position," the dark knight hissed. "I won't tolerate Alhazad's actions, but you will obey him. You are, after all, third in rank."  
  
Harken glared at her ally who had halted her progress, then composed herself. "As you wish...Lord Zeikfried."  
  
Alhazad's eyes turned red again, then it shifted back to hovering over Rudy's head. "I suppose my 'Rose Of Chaos' is correct," Alhazad continued, glancing quickly at Harken. She just looked away, not wanting anything to do with it. "The final act...the show must go on!" Now the wicked white-cloaked monster rotated around to a panel behind it. Snaking two titanium alloy tentacles out from under its cloak, it began operating a few levers and buttons on the machinery.  
  
"Who needs the Demon Lab," the monster continued. "This will be much better. The Darkness Tear, our version of the Tear Drop, is incomplete. But its dark energy will enhance you."  
  
"Ugh," Rudy moaned, desperately trying to free himself from his confines. "Why do you have...Cecilia's...Tear Drop?"  
  
"To do away with the Guardians, of course," Harken whispered into his ear. "I just love the cries of defenseless humans in pain and suffering. It's so primal and passionate. Here, you will know how I feel."  
  
"This planet is suitable for us," Zeikfried said aloud. "We will rule this world. We will make it into our very own Hiades. If these humans go against us, we will kill them."  
  
"We'd probably kill them anyway, even if they didn't go against us," Alhazad uttered, not looking back. "Lord Zeikfried, can I keep a few of them as guinea pigs when we take over?"  
  
"Of course. Do whatever you may wish."  
  
"Sss-sss-sss," hissed the monster operating the machine. "Good, good! The time is at hand! Let us see what happens now!" Alhazad turned around and backed up, getting some room to see its diabolical work.  
  
"The unfinished Darkness Tear...in all it's glory! Sss-sss-sss!"  
  
A tiny black shard of shiny glass was lowered down from the ceiling from an iron crane hand, right over the forehead of Rudy. As he looked on with sheer fright, he could only wonder what horrors were in store for him as this evil experiment took place. Looking up at the jagged glass chip, his mind felt as if it were being lured in to some kind of wickedness he could not comprehend.  
  
"Pure...evil," Rudy wrenched, trying to look away. But now his head was held in place by Alhazad's titanium tentacles.  
  
"Sss-sss-sss...here it comes! Here it comes! How absolutely vicious!"  
  
The Darkness Tear dropped a little further. As it touched the skin of Rudy's forehead, a violent surge of electric energy exploded from the tiny shard of glass, flying all over the tiny laboratory. All of the viewers had to shield their eyes from the blinding force of power.  
  
"Guuhhhh," Rudy moaned, shaking violently. "Aaaaaaaahhh!"  
  
"Shut if off," Zeikfried bellowed. "You'll kill us all, you fool!"  
  
"Alhazad, you imbecile," Harken shrieked, shielding her ice blue eyes. "What is this...this energy is nothing like I've ever seen! Shut it off, now!"  
  
"It is, it is," Alhazad stated. "I knew it right when I saw him! He is the 'Holmcross'!"  
  
"Aaaahh, gggaaahh," the youth screamed. "Hi......ad...es..."  
  
"...Hiades," Zeikfried repeated after him. "Did he just..."  
  
"It's working, it's working! Sss-sss-sss!"  
  
"Hi...ad...es...must...kill...all...Hi...ad...es..." Rudy had raised himself off of the table uncontrollably.  
  
"What," Harken asked, amazed.  
  
"Kill...all...shkkkkkkhkk! Hi...ad...es...AHHHHH," the young man screamed.  
  
Finally, the Darkness Tear shattered from all of the force. After that, an eerie quiet and darkness descended upon the lab; Zeikfried and Harken were recovering from the vicious outburst. Alhazad, however, held fast and remained hovering a now silent Rudy Roughnight.  
  
"What...just happened here," Zeikfried asked. "Alhazad, did that Darkness Tear shatter?"  
  
"Yes, sss-sss-sss...it was grandiose. Nothing like I ever expected."  
  
"Idiot," Harken caustically called him, ripping into him for the explosion of energy. "Look at this mess! All of our machinery is fried! The lights are busted, and it's dark in here! You destroyed the Darkness Tear, our prime opportunity to conquer this world!"  
  
"Sss-sss-sss...my rose in bloom...do not worry. All is fine."  
  
"..."  
  
"Look. Look in front of you at what I have created! This is our child. Our savior."  
  
"What do you..." she asked curiously as her gaze panned over to the man now sitting up on the table. What she saw made her mouth drop open and her eyes widen. "Oh my...my..."  
  
"I'll be damned," Zeikfried said, also in amazement. "It is...our child. He's arrived."  
  
Silence. Pure silence. All that remained in the small lab inside of the Photosphere was the darkness and the Demons. All that remained was a former shell of what used to be a kind and gentle soul. As Rudy Roughnight died, a new birth had taken place to fill the void he left. That once gentle man hand passed on, but unknowingly left something hideous in his place.  
  
Emitting raw dark energy, an energy that was on the wavelength of the Guardians but incredibly diabolical and horrendous, a man sat up on the steel table, his wicked violet aura illuminating his shape...his pupils removed and the whites of his eyes turned black as night.  
  
Prepare for the fight of the world. The Demon Queen's secret ally in terror and death was, is and will forever be the Child of Malduke...the 'Unborn Menace'.  



	6. Crimson Heaven

Holmcross Project Deep: Crimson Heaven  
  
  
  
  
  
Somewhere, in the icy cold fields of the Northern Continent near the ruined kingdom of Arctica, another birth was slowly taking place. Something that required three 'pieces'. Already, with one of the 'pieces' gently set into place, its birth had gone through one stage of gestation in the glass tube that was its 'womb'.  
  
The ironclad and taciturn Demon Zeikfried stood silently in front of the glass 'womb', searching his feelings and trying to get some answers. The sudden explosion of Hiades…the fiery blaze that enveloped the planet just before that calamity…what happened? Why did the people of Hiades all have to die so violently and so suddenly? What had caused this terrible occurrence to manifest itself in the form of an all-consuming, all-enveloping fire? And then…an explosion that rocked the very core of the universe…why? All of these thoughts and feelings rushed through his body as he stood in front of his 'mother', hoping that some way…somehow…she could provide answers. Zeikfried stepped forward slowly, placing his right hand on the cool glass. He wanted to be her 'child' again so desperately.  
  
"Mother…Mother, I'm here for you. You mustn't worry, fret, or cry anymore…I will always be by your side as a devoted son and warrior in your majesty and grace. Mother…I…need you, I…want you. I cannot live without you in my life, nor can the others. Mother…where are you? Where are you in our time of unbridled disarray and lacking charisma? Mother, we…no, I need you. Your eldest child needs your love."  
  
Rays of sunlight entered in through the glass casing directly behind the tube housing the cocoon that Zeikfried's 'mother' was imprisoned inside, illuminating the large room that he was in. The knight, in a fit of dull, suppressed desperation and loneliness, took this as a sign that fate would shine in the Demons' favor. Perhaps his mother's awakening was more imminent than he had hoped.  
  
"The sun," Zeikfried said, looking upwards. "The glorious, beautiful sun. The ultimate giver of life, warmth and prosperity. Mother, the sun is shining upon us, as if to say that we will be victorious in claiming this world as our own. Mother, this will be our new home…our little Hiades. Once you awaken, you will see this world for its splendor and majestic, breathtaking beauty. We will populate this world with our own and wipe out the humans." All of a sudden, Zeikfried's mood got somewhat sinister. "This world doesn't deserve to be inhabited by Humans and Guardians. We will crush them for you, Mother…slaughter and cripple all of those vermin for what they did to you. And we will reign supreme afterwards. Mother, this will be our era. Now and forever, it will be…with you as our Queen as us as your precious children, eternally swearing unwavering fealty to you."  
  
In the middle of his thoughts, A white orb of light materialized from thin air, taking shape of a familiar entity. Alhazad had entered Zeikfried's presence unannounced, and the knight was not too pleased.  
  
"What do you want," he asked angrily. "Do you not know any better than to not interrupt my private, tender moments with Mother?"  
  
Alhazad's eyes gently lit up, indicating that it was amused with what he had said. "Sss-sss-sss…Zeikfried, my dedicated, somber sibling. Come now…you of all people should know that obsessions are purely unhealthy and self-destructive to the point of madness. Why must you occupy yourself with our…comatose…maternal unit nearly every waking moment of the day? There is much to be done, as you should know…"  
  
"I do not have to answer to the likes of you. What do you want, Alhazad?"  
  
The monstrosity let out what sounded like a lifeless sigh, lowered the brightness of its eyes, then continued on. "A thousand pardons, Lord…forgive me, for I do not know the error of my ways. Getting to my point, I would like to…"  
  
"…Hmm, yes," Zeikfried agreed, knowing that it was going to suggest. "The attack on our next target. I would like to awaken our mother as soon as possible. Then, we can enact our next plan…"  
  
"…And I can play with all of the humans I see fit!"  
  
"You're like a child sometimes, my dear brother. It would seem that you have an 'unhealthy' obsession. With humans, at that."  
  
"Sss-sss-sss," the mechanical machine hissed. "I've been found out."  
  
"Hm. Well, do whatever you want. But remember, take out the Guardian quickly. We can't have that meddlesome witch from Aldehyde getting in our way anymore. That time at Zenom was too close for comfort."  
  
"Ahh, our now-defunct brother Belselk," Alhazad chimed in. "He was always a renegade. And a show-off as well. But then again, that was what got him taken out of the equation, was it not?"  
  
"…I suppose," Zeikfried replied, turning his back on his brother.  
  
"Well, I am not like him. I'm smarter and resourceful, which makes me superior."  
  
"Gloat all you wish when you take back our mother's life."  
  
"Sss…you never had a sense of humor. Oh well, I suppose I'll do this."  
  
After the agreement, almost as if it were timed, another figure entered into the bridge where the two Demons were discussing strategy. This one was different, however; he was a lot smaller, was outlined in a light violet aura and wore a twisted look of wickedness on his facade. His eyes were the color of darkness- -black as the night without a moon- -and his clothing the same hue. The features that once were had all changed into black, with the exception of one sole, solitary trait.  
  
The blue, cropped hair.  
  
This form walked passively up to Zeikfried, his boots clacking against the steel floor of the bridge of the Photosphere. Directly past the now amused and giddy Alhazad, and straight for Zeikfried…the head Quarter Knight was speechless as the man stopped and stared upward at him in deafening silence. After a few brief moments, the white-cloaked Demon spoke up.  
  
"Can I take him with me? I want to give him a little…test-drive."  
  
Zeikfried tore his stare from the man. "Do whatever you want. Just get back our mother's life."  
  
Alhazad's eyes lit up yet again. "Sss-sss-sss…perfect, perfect! Yes, this will be so much fun! I'm going to get to play with my new toy…and it'll be so much fun!"  
  
"…" Zeikfried turned his back on both of them again, staring at the encased cocoon.  
  
"Okay, okay…Holmcross #3…let's go! To Saint Centour!"  
  
Alhazad disappeared from the room an a globe of light, but the man stayed behind for a moment. Giving the unaware Zeikfried a cold and calculated stare from behind, he too left, dematerializing in a heavy cloud of black haze. Zeikfried immediately felt his heavy presence leave the room…and he felt a little relieved.  
  
"That…power," he thought to himself. "It's malicious. I've never felt such a wicked power in my life." He placed his right hand on the glass casing again. "Mother…the light of the sun has drenched us in its light…but now I'm not so sure. That man…what is he?"  
  
Zeikfried, after a few moments, took his hand off the glass and walked away, but not before stopping to look back upon his slumbering mother. Offering one more thought, he spoke aloud.  
  
"We will awaken you, mother. By the grace of Hiades…it will happen."  
  
With the sound of a sliding door opening and shutting, the knight had left. The room sat in a calm quiet, with the hum of the machinery sustaining the life of the cocoon breaking the calm gently. In the stasis capsule the cocoon shifted a little…  
  
"I…can speak. I may speak out. My heart…is broken. My will is not, however, broken. I know my children are…working diligently to free me from my bonds. I know in my mind…my beautiful, beautiful children are trying to rescue…me."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ha-ha-ha! That was some lunge!" Jack had laughed as he scraped a dazed and befuddled Hanpan off the ground. "You just bounced off thin air, like you threw yourself headfirst into a wall or something!"  
  
The three had attempted to enter the housed city of Saint Centour, which was surrounded by brick-and-stone walls extending 25 feet into the air. Cecilia and he walked directly through the main entrance without encountering any trouble. But their mousy ally had tried unsuccessfully three times after them with no success. Each time he attempted to stroll in a bright blue protective barrier had pushed him backwards, keeping him from entering. After a period of frustration, the mouse tried diving headfirst through the portal, but that just knocked him for a loop.  
  
Jack looked around behind him to hear footsteps approaching. A short, portly man of age wearing a brown and black poncho strolled over to the three who were just outside of the city walls, smiling happily. "Whoops, looks like we raised a ruckus," he said to the man.  
  
"Oh, no no no," he responded. "But, this gate works like a charm. Your 'pet' there just ended up bouncing off of our monster-rejection system that the city installed a few weeks ago, is all." With his red nose and chubby cheeks, the elderly man squinted his beady little eyes. "That…IS your pet…right?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, uh….no. He's a companion of mine. Name's Hanpan." The tall blonde prodded his friend with one of his fingers. "Hey, say hi."  
  
"Uhhh….oh, um…yeah. Hi, mister."  
  
"W-W-What?! What in tarnation…" This man in the poncho looked like he was going to have a heart attack. "That darn thing can TALK?!"  
  
"Hey, he's not a thing," Jack corrected him. "…And he's not a monster, either! So…"  
  
"Oh, if you say so," the old man said. Jack could hear him mumble a few words under his breath, but was unable to hear the words clearly. He spoke up this time. "Well, you can't bring 'em in here. The gate says so."  
  
"Whaddya mean 'I can't bring him in here'? It's not like Hanpan is dangerous or rabid or anything!"  
  
"Heh, of course I'm not," the blue mouse interjected, sitting up and crossing his tiny front legs. "I'm cuddly and stuff!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah…if you say so." Jack turned his attention to the man again. "So we can't enter unless we leave him out here?"  
  
"::ahem:: Well…he doesn't look like he would harm anyone. Maybe…"  
  
"Come on…he's not gonna kill anyone."  
  
The fat man paced back and forth, eventually coming to a stop and rubbing beads of sweat off his forehead. "Aah, well…I guess it wouldn't be too bad if he came…but…"  
  
"..Yes," Jack asked, not really caring what he would say.  
  
"Just…just control him, y'know? I don't want any sort of panic here in the city; the citizens are already scared of the beasts around here. Something is making the monsters in this region stronger than usual, so~~"  
  
"Of course," Jack stopped him in mid-sentence. "Yeah, we wouldn't do anything like that."  
  
"All right then. I'd advise you to put him in one of your coat pockets…and tell him to hug up against you so that the barrier won't recognize him. If he is close enough to you, the wall will only pick up your wavelengths--not his--and let you both through. Granted that you yourselves aren't monsters as well…" After he explained to them the process, the man went back into the city.  
  
"Monsters?" Cecilia was offended by the very thought. She followed directly behind Jack and entered slowly through the gate, a little weary that it would malfunction on her. After the both of them officially entered the large city, Hanpan hopped out of Jack's coat pocket.  
  
"Geez, Jack! Have you been smoking again or something? I thought you quit!"  
  
"Never you mind, whisker face," he said, looking down at him. "You got in, so don't complain."  
  
"I'm not complaining! I just hate the smell of it!"  
  
"Yeah, whatever." Jack turned around to Cecilia, dug into another one of his coat pockets and pulled out a small off-brown bag. The girl took it, not knowing what to do with it.  
  
"Jack? What's this?"  
  
"That's 200 gella," he told her. "That is the money for our stay at the inn here. Could you go and make our reservations for us?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. I guess. Were you going somewhere or something?"  
  
"Not really. I was just going to look around the city…you know. Scout around for any suspicious happenings or something."  
  
Cecilia knew. Whenever Jack started acting like this, he was up to no good. She had gotten relatively used to his secrecy, so she didn't think twice about what he was off to do. Taking the money and walking ahead to the inn, she obeyed him. Hanpan followed, needing to rest his weary legs a little. Jack saw them go into the brick building, then turned to a local to ask around about the city. The man who had just helped them get into the city sat in front of the inn on a barrel.  
  
"Thanks mister. We really needed to get in here."  
  
"Oh, it doesn't matter. But we are just scared of the monsters here…that's why this city has this type of security and defense."  
  
"I can understand that," Jack said sympathetically. "Hey listen…is there anywhere around here where I could get a drink?"  
  
"A drink? You mean you aren't tired, even after walking all the way here? Travelers to this city usually go straight to bed once they get here."  
  
"Nah, not me. But you look like the type to down a few, if you know what I mean." Jack was obviously referring to his reddened nose and cheeks. That, and the bottle of red whiskey he had resting beside him on the edge of the barrel. "So, how's about it…?"  
  
The portly gentleman chuckled. "…Well! I can see you aren't just some young braggard who thinks he knows liquor!"  
  
"Yeah, I'm not."  
  
"Heh! Okay, I'll tell you. Down the street a couple of buildings and to your left. The saloon sits in the middle of town right there, right across from the big statue. You can't miss it."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Jack walked off northward in town, hoping to get himself a couple of drinks. If there was any one thing that could put this user of the Fast Draw to sleep quickly, it was a nice glass of intoxicating beverage.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The lobby of the Saint Centour Inn had a modern atmosphere, decorated with many small oil paintings and silver candleholders. Two mahogany circular tables sat side by side under bright red carpeting for patrons to eat dinner or breakfast at. The lighting wasn't dark nor bright, yet held a certain quaint mystique to it. Cecilia felt it once she entered inside; it felt like she had gone back home to Aldehyde. Even days after she left on her journey for the Tear Drop the homesickness kicked in, growing more and more potent as time slipped by. But the girl had a sworn duty to amplify the Guardians' wishes and to destroy the encroaching evil that would settle upon Filgaia if not confronted. Cecilia always pushed her longing to be home back into the deepest recesses of her being, but it suddenly came rushing back out.  
  
Cecilia walked up to the front counter and was greeted heartily by the clerk working there. A short man with trimmed black hair, dressed down in black slacks, white button-down dress shirt and suspenders, gave her his attention with a wide smile. She thought he was sort of attractive.  
  
"Hello miss," he courteously said. "Welcome to the Dream Upon Dreams, the famed inn of Saint Centour."  
  
"Ha-ha-ha," she laughed back, not exactly in a derogatory manner. "It's the only inn, mister."  
  
The young clerk blushed in embarrassment. "Ha-ha, yeah. I'm supposed to say that, though."  
  
"Ah, I see. Well, this place looks very nice."  
  
"Oh, well thank you. This business has been in my family for five generations. My father and my father's father were very talented innkeepers. Our family is renowned here for our consideration and hospitality. We also like to make the guests feel comfortable…like they were at their own home."  
  
"Hmm, that would explain it." Cecilia thought out loud on purpose.  
  
"Explain what, if I may ask?"  
  
"That wave of homesickness that came over me when I entered."  
  
"Oh, I am sorry, miss. Please, don't feel bad about being away from home."  
  
"Oh, I'm not. You mustn't worry about me."  
  
"But I do worry. You must have been away from home for a long time to feel homesick."  
  
"Yeah, I have. Too long, it seems sometimes."  
  
"Oh, I see…"  
  
Cecilia had completely lost the reason of why she came here in the first place. Getting back on track, she inquired about the rates of the rooms that were being offered.  
  
"We have a compact suite. One room with two beds, complete with dinner and breakfast for 40 gella a night. Or I could offer you a deluxe suite with the trimmings of the latter with extra benefits for 100 gella a night."  
  
"Hmm," Cecilia said silently under her breath. "Jack did give me 200 gella…and it wouldn't hurt to splurge a little…"  
  
"…Miss?" the clean man inquired.  
  
"Ha, I'm sorry. I…think I'll take the deluxe suite. Yeah, the deluxe."  
  
"All right…and do you have someone else with you?"  
  
"Yes, but he isn't here. He'll probably be here in an hour or two. Can he stay?"  
  
"Certainly, miss."  
  
Cecilia dug into the small bag and pulled out 100 gella, giving it to the young gentleman behind the counter. Afterwards, he gave her a key to her bedroom, gave her the room number and showed her the way there. When he stepped out behind the counter, however, he noticed Hanpan already heading down the hallway.  
  
"Um…is that…your pet?"  
  
"Oh…him? No, he's a good friend of mine."  
  
"A friend…?"  
  
"Yes. He's not harmful or anything, and he doesn't have fleas." Cecilia looked at him strangely. "Say, you do let pets stay, right?"  
  
"A pet? I thought it was a monster at first…"  
  
"Nah, he's not. We did get through the gate, so he couldn't be a monster." Cecilia chose not to tell him about sneaking Hanpan in and to let the lie slide. "So, is it all right?"  
  
"Err, well…I guess it couldn't hurt. I mean, it did get through."  
  
The wind mouse shook his whiskers at him, offended at being called a pet. "Hey, I am NOT her pet! And I'm a 'he', not an 'it'! Sheesh!"  
  
Cecilia smiled at the clerk and drifted off to her room, where she opened up the door for her mousy ally. They both entered and let the door shut with an almost silent click, leaving him standing in the lobby dumbfounded.  
  
"W-What? It can…talk?" The innkeeper didn't know what to think.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cecilia immediately climbed into bed, not even bothering to remove her gear to get undressed. Hanpan climbed onto a chair that sat near the door, curled up and closed his eyes, resting his tiny body on the crimson pillowed seating. After what seemed to be a few minutes, Hanpan got back up to see Cecilia lying there with the covers hanging off of her.  
  
"…Cecilia," he asked her. To no avail; she was fast asleep at the moment. "Gee…she was really exhausted; she's out like a light."  
  
Hanpan hopped off the chair and jumped on the bed. He began to pull the covers up over hr body, making sure she was comfortably tucked into bed. This task took him a minute or so, but seeing her sleeping comfortably made it well worth the effort for him. After Hanpan finished he silently jumped off of the bed and back onto the chair to sleep himself. Curling up again, he shut his eyes and drifted into a deep slumber.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Under covers she slept blissfully, unaware of was about to take place. A subtle flapping in the wind tickled the window curtains next to her bed, becoming stronger and louder with each passing second.  
  
Now it was quite loud, rousing Hanpan out of his slumber. Long and drawn out gusts of wind made their way into Cecilia's room…unnatural winds that couldn't have been caused by any weather. The wind mouse say upright on hind legs in the chair, wondering what it could be.  
  
At that moment…it hit.  
  
A shrill howl like that of a monster shattered the window pane, shocking the girl out of her sleep. She sat up and looked out of her window to see something frightening- -a gray dragon-like beast wreaking havoc on the city outside. It was unbelievable…truly frightening to the both of them. Cecilia rubbed her eyes and pinched her cheeks just to make sure this wasn't some sort of nightmare. Something else had caught her attention apart from the onslaught.  
  
"…What?" she asked herself in shock. "Wait a minute…"  
  
As she stared on, the beast decimated a distant building with its tail. Scores of children and adults emerged from the ruins overtaken by horror as this foul entity laid the structure to waste. The magic user never even saw Hanpan hop up next to her onto the windowsill.  
  
"Cecilia, what in the world is…!" He never got to finish the sentence when he finally got a glimpse of what was happening. "…Oh…my goodness."  
  
"…" The girl didn't even hear him.  
  
"…Cecilia? Jack isn't here. He may be~~"  
  
"Hanpan…do you see what I see?" Cecilia asked him in a slight stupor. "That…isn't…"  
  
"…Isn't what?"  
  
The girl hesitated to move then, but after a few moments she grabbed her scepter off of the nightstand and ran out the entrance of the room, leaving her small and furry companion wondering what was going on. He looked out the window once more, watching the destruction of the city by this flying menace…when it hit him. Hanpan saw what Cecilia was dumbstruck about right then.  
  
" ::gasp:: No way!" he practically screamed in his high-pitched voice, shaking his head in disbelief. "That isn't right! It can't be!" The creature hopped off the windowsill ledge in a hurry and ran outside after Cecilia.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In the middle of Saint Centour a lone swordsman stood, defending himself from this monster. His enemy- -a mysterious white-robed Demon that wore a golden mask and had eyes of crimson- -stared him down as the dragon did the damage to Saint Centour. The flying beast made circles around the town, blasting the occasional fireball at random targets and buildings. Many of the houses were severely burned or crushed. Groups of hysterical citizens ran past Jack, only wishing to escape from this hell inflicted upon them. But the warrior didn't care; it was his job to fight the ones who would destroy the Guardian Statues. With saber in hand, Jack Van Burace gritted his teeth and emitted a primal yell at his foe.  
  
"Aaaaaaaagh! You! You monsters! Have you no shame?"  
  
The white-robed one paid him no heed. Hovering directly above the statue in the center of town, it probed and prodded the stone image with its metal tail. Jack was becoming quickly annoyed at its lack of response.  
  
"Hey! You! Get away from that statue, or else!" Jack took his sword in both hands, gripping the handle tightly. "I can't let you do that. If you don't stop, I'm gonna have to get rough!"  
  
Still, the cloaked one said nothing. It ceased the jabbing with its tail and instead took a different approach by ramming it with its head from the side. The statue moved a little but did not break, much to the vexation of the Demon.  
  
"Goodness me," the thing said in a metallic voice, void of any emotion. "This just will not do. Maybe I would do well to take that annoying man's advice and get rough with it."  
  
"…What? Hey…wait a minute! You can't do that!" Jack charged toward the monster near the Guardian Statue, almost making a connection with his weapon. But his attempt was struck down by a nearby explosion that knocked him off course and straight into the wall of a nearby building. He warrior rubbed his head, took the saber back into his hand and got up slowly. The first thing he saw was Cecilia and Hanpan running toward him from the inn. Once they made it over to him, the girl cast a quick healing spell on him just in case.  
  
"Aah…thanks Cecilia. That one really hurt right there."  
  
"Jack, what is that thing near the statue?" she inquired curiously.  
  
"It's trying to destroy it, Princess! And it's taking its sweet time in doing so as well!"  
  
Cecilia stood up, scepter in hand, and walked toward it with determination, Jack got to his feet and called out to her, but was unable to stop her purpose.  
  
"…Damnit, Princess…why are you always like this?" Jack sighed, then went along with her for the upcoming battle. "Here we go again…"  
  
Cecilia ascended the steps of the Guardian Statue holding garden to battle against the one who would hope to destroy what she would seek to save. The royal had a plan already in motion- -she was silently chanting an incantation for a thunder spell that she hoped would catch it off guard. Hiding her face by hanging her head to the ground would shield her from being found out…or she hoped it would.  
  
"I only need one good shot," she told herself in her mind as she neared. "One shot…and it's all over."  
  
Still ramming it with its head, this creature stopped and acknowledged her presence closing in. It turned to her and narrowed its blood-colored eyes in disgust.  
  
"If it isn't the one chosen by the Guardians to destroy us. Welcome, little girl."  
  
Unexpectedly, Cecilia finished her spell chant and released the energy from the skies. A bolt of thunder came roaring down to hit its desired target. This violet shock pounded down on it, stunning the Demon into submission and dropping it immediately to the cobblestone ground in one large metallic heap. She waited a few minutes while prodding the beast with her scepter, making sure it was properly dispatched with her powerful magic. After that time had passed, she began to celebrate her victory. Jack couldn't believe what had just transpired here.  
  
"Yes! I did it," Cecilia exclaimed victoriously. "Ha-ha-ha! It worked!" Turning away from her foe and to her allies before her, she let them know. "Jack, Hanpan! I think my plan worked!"  
  
"…How in the…what?" Jack stammered.  
  
"No worries now; it's all done for. Hee-hee, that was relatively simple, if I do say so myself! So much for being 'the Innocent One' after all!"  
  
Joyously, this proud girl jumped and danced with joy at her accomplishment. However, she never saw the crystalline blue eyes of her friend down below widen in horror. For you see, something large, hulking and crimson-eyed had risen from the ground and begun to hover directly over her.  
  
"…! C-Cecilia! Cecilia, get away from there!" Jack screamed, pointing at her. "Damnit, look behind you! That thing is still alive!"  
  
Her smile faded with his response to her victory. "What?"  
  
As soon as she whipped around to see what the man was talking about, the creature's metallic tail struck her directly in the face, knocking Cecilia some 15 feet away. "Ceciliaaaa!" Jack yelled as he sprinted over to where she lay unconscious from the blow. He shook her and patted her head in an attempt to revive her, but the girl was out cold. With an angry façade, Jack raised his head slowly and glared at his enemy.  
  
"….You monster. You monster! I hate you!"  
  
"Kkkkkk, shkkkk," it hissed, mechanically writhing in pain from the lightning strike. "That little witch packs a mean punch, I see. Shkkkk…now…it ends. I am Alhazad, you imbeciles! Demon scientist extraordinaire, and master of your ultimate fates! I am the one who makes the decision of whether you live to see tomorrow or suffer the trip to an early grave! Kkkkk…I…I hate you humans! That is why I will kill you. You get no second chances; you get no opportunity to oppose my will…you get~~"  
  
"Will you SHUT UP already?" a familiar voice resounded from a place in the skies. "Alhazad, or whatever your name is. All of what you now said is but a mere opinion! In truth, I am the one who controls others' futures!"  
  
The one called Alhazad backed away in shock at the mystery voice's denial of its power. "Who in the hell do you think you are…Holmcross? I am your master and maker! You do not deny your master the pleasures he desires!"  
  
With that statement, the dragon from before descended from the skies. However, someone else had appeared with it, straddling the back of its scaly neck while closing in on ground level of the destroyed city. The gray wined animal flapped its wings, keeping it aloft in midair while the rider grinned evilly at Alhazad. Jack took one look at who it was and dropped his sword to the street in mixed emotions of incredulity and denial.  
  
"N-N-No way…no. That can't be right." Jack shook his head back and forth lifelessly. "How can it be you? you're dead; you went into the sea in Aldehyde!"  
  
The man ignored his words and instead stared down the shaken one called Alhazad. "So, how would you care for your demise to come forth, milord? Shall it be from the scorching hellfires of purgatory down below? If you wish, I may smite you down with purity from the heavens, therein defeating you to the point of death by extensive shock."  
  
Alhazad approached the man and his dragon with wicked intents. "Holmcross, you have no idea who you are~~"  
  
"The flames of Hell it shall be then," he ascertained for the robed one. "Goodbye forever."  
  
The blue-haired youth raised his right hand into the air, rapidly beginning to gather flames into one large orb. As it had finished, he offered one last insult towards his 'master'.  
  
"May the Guardians bless you in your descent into obscurity."  
  
The flaming orb hurled itself towards Alhazad and connected, which ignited its body ablaze. "Kkkkk, shkkkk," it moaned as it fell to the ground and convulsed erratically. Jack picked Cecilia up and backed away as it inched its way over near their presence in desperation. "Ple…ase, help me…I need release…shkkk…"  
  
"…" Jack ignored its pleas for mercy and continued to back away.  
  
Alhazad, after a minute or two, slowed in his wrenching and writhing as it neared the demise that had been inflicted my the mysterious yet familiar man on the dragon. Eventually, the round Demon who had worn white had been reduced to a blackened and charred hulk of smoldering scrap metal as a thick black liquid oozed on the ground from beneath its remains. Jack said nothing and stared as he and the other man watched him die a horrible death. Silence ensued afterwards, with the exception of a few straggling villagers fleeing from the city stifling their screams, and the swordsman turned his attention to this person who he seemed to know somehow.  
  
"…Rudy?"  
  
The one he referred to as Rudy glanced down at him sporting a sneer. "I don't know who you are."  
  
"…" Jack couldn't believe what he had just heard.  
  
"Do I?"  
  
"It's me, Jack! How can you be alive when I saw you go into the ocean? You drowned!"  
  
"…"  
  
Jack stepped toward him. "…Listen, let's get out of here. We can catch up on what happened after you left once Cecilia comes to. The Guardians have given us our help, and now once we release the Demon Queen's essence and destroy it, we can~~"  
  
"…Ha…ha-ha-ha."  
  
"…What? Rudy, what is so funny?"  
  
"Gah-ha-ha-ha! Destroy the essence of Mother, you say? How utterly…naïve of you."  
  
Jack didn't understand what he meant. "Rudy, what are you saying?"  
  
"What I am saying is that Mother's heart will be released. But it won't be destroyed."  
  
Rudy ascended back into the air, and the dragon let out a thunderous cry as it made headway on its set destination. Raising his hand into the air once more, he started a chant that Jack had heard somewhere before.  
  
"Warrior of Filgaia, protector of the eternal all-consuming flame of mightiness and divinity! Heed my commands and release your fury onto the world! Moa Gault, Guardian of Fire…I command thee! Waste this blight of a hamlet to charred stone and ashes!"  
  
Jack stared into the sky, shaking his head. Then he noticed a slight motion moving in his pocket, combined with a red glow. A small egg-shaped stone had risen up out of there and ascended rapidly into the air over the city.  
  
"The rune? But how.."  
  
"Release…now!" Rudy yelled. "Go, destroy it all now!"  
  
The stone engulfed itself in an orb of blinding light, causing Jack to shield his sight. The rune exploded and took the form of a large flaming bird that circled his master in anticipation of his command.  
  
"One who controls me as he sees fit," said Moa Gault. "Do with me what you will."  
  
"…Go," Rudy simply said. "Burn it. Burn it all."  
  
"Yes, my master."  
  
Mao Gault did what he was told and circled again, flying around the city while dropping flames in every direction. Houses were practically assaulted by small flaming rocks being hurled by this supposed protector of Fligaia- -the one who was to aid in the quest to destroy Mother and the Demons.  
  
"Good lord…this is horrendous," was all the Jack said at the sight of the Guardian wasting the city.  
  
With Hanpan close behind him, the swordsman ran as quickly as he could to the entrance without dropping Cecilia, who rested unaware in his arms. He saw Rudy approach the Guardian Statue as he began to exit; he unhooked a large cannon on his back, fired upon the figure and blew it to chunks in two swift maneuvers.  
  
"Nooooooo!" Jack bellowed. "The statue!"  
  
Rudy grabbed a small piece of black material that appeared after the statue's destruction and flew off immediately into the skies, while the berserk Guardian eventually slowed and ceased his rampage on Saint Centour. It flew just outside the boundaries of the city and reverted back into a rune in a cloud of dust, causing the slab to fall directly at Jack's feet. Not thinking twice about it, he picked it up and ran to the exit of the village to exit before the flames killed him and Cecilia. As he made it just outside of the gate, he quickly observed a man in a long dark-brown trench coat holding someone else in his arms as she lie there on the ground motionless. Jack slowed down just enough to warn them about the flames, since they seemed completely oblivious to the destruction.  
  
"Hey, you! This city's gonna be burned to the ground, so I'd get out of here if I were you!"  
  
"Leave me alone, sir," the man moaned deeply. "God, just leave us be!"  
  
"Come on; you want to doe here or something? You have a death wish? Get the lady out of here before she fries to death!"  
  
The kneeling fellow whipped his head around to Jack and addressed him eye-to-eye this time. "She IS dead! Goodness, man…she got killed by a monster!"  
  
Jack barely even had time to think before he responded to that. The flames were closing in on them unnaturally quickly, like they had a mind of their own. "Carry her out of here; maybe I can help her."  
  
"You can't help her. Can you snatch back the deceased from the other side?!"  
  
"Come on," Jack begged. "Damnit, get up and let's go!"  
  
The other man took a look at the approaching line of fire inside of the city as it weave its way towards them. He decided to follow Jack's advice and leave before he himself suffered the same fate as his friend had. He picked up the pale woman in pink who had curly blonde hair into his arms, and with Jack, fled the city of Saint Centour forever.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Final Strategic Move

Holmcross Project Deep: Final Strategic Move  
  
  
  
  
  
"Mother, I need you," Rudy said as he ascended multiple sets of stairs. "Mother, you are…my mother. I had no mother. And my father died. But I know that I have a mother within you. So please, be my mother. Because I want to be your child…"  
  
Yes. A mother. That is what he wanted. Someone to love him, someone to care for him. And someone to guide the way. As intelligent as he sounded, Rudy knew deep down that he was very naïve to the world outside of the labs in the Photosphere. Of course, he had memories from the previous Rudy Roughnight that proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that there were many selfish and uncaring things out in the world who would seek to use others as tools for their own benefit. The new Rudy secretly hated it, even though that is all he knew from being with Demons from his birth on. Alhazad was one such being that did that to him.  
  
"'Toy'," Rudy said, as he walked slowly down a narrow corridor to the room where Mother was being held. "'Toy. My personal destroyer. Lifeless tool for murder. You are mine, Rudy'. That is what you said, Alhazad. I remember those nights when you said I would never have my freedom and that you would use me to no end to wreak havoc on the world. You said you would make me kill, and that I would like to kill eventually. Well you know what, Alhazad? I don't like it. I don't like killing people, but I know that as long as I have this thing in my head I'll never be able to stop doing it. And that's why you are dead, you wretched freak of nature."  
  
Rudy stopped cold all of a sudden, a pulse-pounding headache instantly coming on. It felt like he was being hit in the head furiously with a sledgehammer over and over again. Putting both hands on his head, he fell to the ground in pain and tried to massage the pain away.  
  
"Aaaghhh….what…no, not…now. Is it…'overloading' again," Rudy asked himself, stifling his moans of pain between every word. "Must…release some Bio-Prism. It must be…a reaction. From…his memories. I can't…remember the past because…the Darkness Tear…doesn't want me to. Aaaaghh!"  
  
With that, the youth sprung up and ran quickly through the doors at the other end of the hallway, barely giving them enough time to open enough so that he could slip through the opening.  
  
"Mother, I'm coming…I'm coming!"  
  
Rudy ran over to the large glass tube that housed the cocoon and immediately pulled out a small yet sharp pocket knife. He wasted no time whatsoever in slashing his right wrist from one side to the other, causing the previously blue liquid to ooze out quickly in a darkened purplish color. Rudy then balled his left fist up and punched a hole into the capsule, inserting his other bio-soaked hand inside. Almost as if it were acting on reflex, the cocoon sprouted six wiry, elongated suckers that darted onto the darkened hand. These phalanges then began to absorb the Bio-Prism that had been bleeding out from his wrist directly from the slit as Rudy breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Yes…that's it," he moaned. "Take it all from me. I want you to guide me. I will give you my body if you desire so, if it will help you come back to me. Because the only way you will be resurrected is through…my doing. And then," Rudy hissed, his face contorting with maliciousness. "You will lead me to 'the Land of Days Gone Past…"  
  
Just at that instant, the lord knight Zeikfried entered, followed behind by the female knight Harken. The one in front expressed rage when he saw how Rudy had punched a hole inside of the glass tube.  
  
"Filth! You dare to poison our mother?" Zeikfried bellowed, reaching for his spear strapped to his side. "I'll kill you! Wretch!"  
  
The large knight stepped forward, but not before Harken stepped between them and implored for him to stop. "Wait, Lord Zeikfried! It isn't wise to fight here, in front of Mother! The shielding could be damaged even further if you engage battle in this closed of a space!"  
  
"Harken! Are you calling me a fool?! I know now; this man is never to be trusted! He is contaminating Mother's recovery with his own taint from within! So~~"  
  
The crimson fighter looked over at a large monitor hanging above one of the many support machines in the lab. "Look, Lord! Mother's power is increasing!"  
  
Zeikfried took a look at it and indeed saw that the pie gauge on the screen was increasing, albeit very slowly. However, it was evident that there was an effect taking place. "How…how is this possible? It can't be that kid!"  
  
"Yes!" Harken proposed. "Remember Lord, Mother's power had not been on the increase in two months. Yet now before us, her strength is actually gaining!"  
  
The Demon couldn't argue that the gauge was indeed increasing. He had hopes that anything that would help bring his mother back to him would be helpful in her recovery to the living world. However, his overall doubt about this upstart bogged down his mind to no end. Zeikfried felt there was something a little off about him, and that he had some sort of ulterior motive for wanting to bring back the piece of Mother that was chained inside seemingly unbreakable binds.  
  
"…Wait," the leader of the Quarter Knights told the youth. "…Take your hand out of the capsule."  
  
Rudy looked at him for a moment strangely, then did as he was told and removed his bleeding hand from the capsule. The long, thin tentacles that had sprouted from Mother's cocoon retracted back inside slowly, almost as if it were saddened to have lost its food source. Both Harken and her commander examined the display and after a few silent minutes saw that the pie gauge had stopped moving.  
  
"Aha. I'm willing to bet that his organic flow had a positive effect on Mother. The power hasn't moved at all now." The female turned to Zeikfried. "Yes. I'm certain of it. This is how it is; his blood is giving her power."  
  
"…We shall see," was his response to her. "Now, boy…put it back in. Slowly."  
  
Rudy shrugged and placed his right hand back inside. The thing on the inside practically sensed it coming and had already sprouted more suckers--diving directly for the thin gash.  
They pulsated with every ingestion; Rudy felt a little uncomfortable with the situation because the thing was taking in more and more with each taste. However, what the lady had suspected was true. His blood was indeed causing Mother's power to grow.  
  
"There is your proof, Lord. To tell the truth, I am a bit surprised that of all things it is his essence that makes her grow strong. This may very well be at our advantage in the coming war to come with the Humans and Guardians." Lady Harken let out a low, seductive laugh at this discovery. "If only Alhazad were here to see this. He'd have a fit, I fear!"  
  
"…" Zeikfried stared at him as he knelt on the floor, weak from too much loss of blood. "Very well. Take it out."  
  
The young man did as he was told--he would've anyway--and yanked his arm out of the tube, causing the tentacles once again to slowly worm back inside of the cocoon. He then got up wobbly-legged, gripping and massaging his right wrist as Harken walked over to speak to him directly.  
  
"I'm proud of you, you know," she said, laughing. You could very well turn the tide of war in our favor."  
  
"No need to butter me up," was his response. "Alhazad told me that my heart was capable of producing infinite amounts of the Bio-Prism as it is. But…I think I may need to rest. I'm nearly drained, and my body feels sluggish and debilitated."  
  
"That's all right, as long as you can make more." She smiled softly, something that Rudy had never seen her do the time he had been in the Photosphere. But afterward, she began to think about Alhazad. Distinctly, why he didn't come back with him. "So, where is that flying rat at anyway? I see you extracted the piece from the statue, so the mission was a success."  
  
"Him?" Rudy asked, already formulating a cheap lie to say to her. "They took him out. A shame, actually. Those cowardly humans ganged up on him and killed him!"  
  
Zeikfried interjected himself, shocked by what he had just stated. "You jest! Alhazad, killed in battle?!"  
  
"Yes," he told him.  
  
"…"  
  
"Well, it's the truth."  
  
"…I…see…"  
  
Rudy turned to Harken and began to inquire about the last statue. "About that, I was wondering if~~"  
  
"Relax, I know where it is. I pinpointed its location in a remote city the humans call Port Timney. I was going to go there right now; the second piece already flew back to this locale and has been installed." She turned around to her commander. "…I mean…if that would be alright with you?"  
  
"Go ahead. The sooner the better."  
  
"…Oh," Harken sighed, grinning. "Well…that's fine. I guess I'll go get the last statue by myself. You just stay here and rest up."  
  
"No," The one with blue hair begged. "I-I mean…I'm all right. My strength remains, and you can destroy the statue. Plus, I would like to see that girl from Saint Centour again."  
  
"Ha-ha-ha! Why, my dear Holmcross!" Harken cackled, turning around to him. "In love?"  
  
"…No." Rudy made his way past the two, moving closer to the exit of the room. As he did he craned his head back and spoke some more. "My only purpose is to discover what happens when all three keys of fate are unlocked. And…she looks familiar to me. I would like to she what powers she has as well." With those words, he was gone.  
  
Zeikfried sighed, and Harken bid him goodbye. "I'll be successful this time, Lord. Rest assured, once our trials are over, we will have the upper hand in the fight to colonize this world with our own peoples. Zeikfried, sir…I'll bring good tidings when I return." Harken left the quarters, leaving the knight alone with only the bubbling of the capsule and the whir of the machinery that kept Mother alive as his only solace. He saw her figure fade into the darkness of the hallway outside, just as the double doors shut, leaving him with no one to talk to. Zeikfried took one final look at the cocoon inside of the capsule, shook his head and left.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Dusk swiftly came and went on the windy plains near the now destroyed town of Saint Centour. Refugees from that disaster struggled to live in cramped-down emergency tents on a large hill about a mile outside of that location. The city dwellers found it tough to survive outside the confines of their home. It turns out very few survivors could hunt food, leaving the entire group to fish for food at a tiny lake near where they set up shelter to live.  
Also, much emotional scarring had been dealt to the people, especially to the little ones who couldn't understand what had happened. Children wailed throughout the starry night, afflicted with hunger and the images of their loved ones dying before their eyes seared into their young minds forever. They retold images of a flying dragon spitting out fire at their parents, and a white beast hitting others with its tail.  
  
No one was free; everyone paid the price of life, having lost a relative or a friend. A few of the men folk even had complete breakdowns and took their own lives as an answer to the seemingly indomitable problems they faced. Women and young girls who had no children soon found themselves cast in the unavoidable role as 'mother' to all of the orphaned children who had lost their real mothers in Alhazad's and Rudy Roughnight's stealth attack on the city. The entire scene was both saddening and horrific at the same time.  
  
Under a lonesome conifer, away from all of the chaos, Cecilia sat with legs propped up. The night wind had brought the expected chill, forcing her to hold herself to get warm. As she did, the girl looked on not at the people on the hill at a distance, but at the city. As night fell, a mysterious cloud materialized over the ruins, pouring down rain to put of the flames from Moa Gault and the preceding attack. She could only conclude that it was the will of the Guardians, since the cloud appeared over the city only and not anywhere else. Looking at this, and coming to terms with everything that had happened, it was inevitable. Cecilia couldn't hold the tears back. Silently, she put her head in her lap and began to sob.  
  
"How cruel, Moa Gault," she said, sniffling between words. "I thought you we're a Guardian! You are supposed to protect! But…you did the will of the Demons. However, I realize it would be futile to blame you, because you were summoned to do someone's will as I said." Cecilia brought her head up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I desperately want to be strong, yet...yet I can't protect the people. If I can't protect the people, then what do I hope to do? Save the world? Can one little 'Princess' fulfill so grandiose a task?"  
  
"Miss Cecilia, you can do anything if you simply put your mind to it," came a soothing voice from somewhere.  
  
Cecilia jumped in shock, unaware that someone had been listening to her talk to the open air. A tall, slender figure came walking behind from around the tree she was sitting under. Upon close examination of the voice, it wasn't Jack. It was that man Jack had met before he fled the city…that man who had the dead woman in his arms, crying like she had just done right now.  
  
"…I'm sorry. You wouldn't want to listen to the rantings of a pathetic girl such as myself."  
  
"Oh, on the contrary Miss," McDullen kindly said in an attempt to put her at peace. "May I sit down here?"  
  
"Huh? Oh…sure. Here you go."  
  
Cecilia scooted over a little to let him sit next to her under the tree. McDullen sat and made himself comfortable. The man Jack had met when she was knocked out was incredibly kind, considerate and respectful as she learned in the little time she had gotten to know him from when she regained consciousness. And he always had a knack for chivalry. It was right now that Cecilia found those trait's the most comforting.  
  
"…Did you bury that woman already? I'm sorry that she died."  
  
"I'm sorry that Miss Jane is gone too," he calmly said, not showing emotion to that memory.  
  
"Forgive me. I am so heartless sometimes! I said that without even knowing how you felt."  
  
"It's fine Miss, I assure you. Certain trials require certain strengths, and this trial requires hardiness of the soul and endurance of the mind. Dual traits with what I have experience of holding."  
  
"I'm happy for you. Really, I am. But…"  
  
"Miss Cecilia," McDullen said, changing the subject. "You can do much for this world, if only you would give yourself a chance of doing that said good in the first place."  
  
"But look at the people who died today! So many people died today…and I couldn't prevent it!"  
  
"That is true. Many innocents lost their lives on this day. And, as I sincerely regret, there is nothing that could be done to reverse this taint. However, you mustn't place the blame of what happened solely on yourself. Those culprits who hatched this foul scheme continue to spread the evil to other regions in the world! You are not the reason people die, Miss Cecilia. Those who would seek to take advantage of the weaknesses of others, and prey on that weakness to gain what they desire are the ones to blame!"  
  
"…But…"  
  
"Do not be sad. You have friends. These friends will help you in your fight. Even if not physically there to aid you, they wish you the best of fortunes in your battle to restore truth, light and honor to the tainted lands that the Demons have touched with their collective cancerous hands. True, many atrocities cannot be reversed. But by your hand and magic, you can work to prevent other ones from ever occurring! If there is something that works as the ultimate catalyst to bring the hearts and minds of the masses together to help each other through such trying times, that catalyst is death. Yes, Miss…you can work to prevent other deaths. And I have faith in your powers."  
  
"McDullen?" Cecilia asked.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"How do you deal with pain?"  
  
"…?"  
  
"Well, I mean…how do you deal with personal pain? You know, like if someone close to you dies, how do you cope?"  
  
"…"  
  
When she saw the look on his face, she began to regret ever asking. "Goodness, there I go again. Sorry."  
  
"'Tis all right, I assure you," he said, probably noticing. "Well, if someone close to me passes away, I tackle the pain head-on. Coming to grips with the emptiness, then mourning the loss…finally, I try to acknowledge that they will never come back. Because I know they never will. There are many different ways to deal with that type of tragedy, and that is but merely one."  
  
"I see."  
  
"Why do you ask, if I may inquire?"  
  
"Oh, it's just because I remember that day. I'm sure you've received word of it. It happened around 2 months ago, when my kingdom was destroyed by the Demons. The villagers were taken aback by the wave of monsters that entered into the city, because it happened during the Ruins Fair. Everybody was happy, until the sky fell and the rays of dark energy came rumbling down like bolts of lightning upon the city. Wracked with pain at the sight of innocents dying, I retreated into the castle, where I then saw my father die. It was at that time when my body went completely numb."  
  
The man felt sorry for her. After all, going through these ordeals at such a young age was anything but natural for a Princess. "Cecilia, forgive me. Do not feel compelled to tell me if you are not ready."  
  
"No, McDullen. I have actually gotten over my father's death. This is just a resurgence of that pain at this tragedy. It just seemed so similar to Aldehyde…"  
  
"…Really, Miss?"  
  
"Yes. I'm sorry to take up so much of your time. I'll be fine, really."  
  
"Are you sure? I can stay if you wish."  
  
"Really. I'm all right."  
  
"…I see. Take your time to sort through it all."  
  
McDullen gave her a hug--something that at this time worked wonders on her emotional pain--smiled at her and stood up, walking off into the distance towards the refugee camp. Cecilia remembered how he devoted himself to helping the survivors through their problems after the attack. She also concluded that it was probably to deal with Jane's death. As he said, there were many different ways to cope with loss of loved ones, and this was no exception.  
  
Even Jack Van Burace, who seemed to have no emotional connection with anyone at all, willingly offered his services to the people. In this time of despair, the swordsman played his guitar to raise the spirits of the ones who listened. Cecilia also remembered how he comforted one boy who lost his entire family in the attack by acting as a father figure to him. Hanpan's presence helped boost peoples' spirits as well, bringing along has wacky antics as pleasing visuals to children. Both men and the wind mouse put their all into it, aiding these destitute citizens after catastrophic events changed their lives forever.  
  
But she wondered. Why couldn't she help like they were doing? What was wrong with her?  
  
She remained under the tree, looking on at the group of people on the hill comforting each other, needing some comfort herself.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Daybreak had arrived, with the awakening of Jack, Hanpan and McDullen. All three awake to see everyone asleep, with a couple of men down at the lake in the distance fishing for breakfast for the people. McDullen made a gruesome discovery as he came upon a man who had hung himself in a nearby tree.  
  
"Gruesome…horrific," he said.  
  
"Probably done in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep," Jack offered. "He lost the will to live. I can't bring myself to take him down from there though."  
  
Jack led the way down the hill, where he came upon Cecilia still sitting under the same tree with bags under her eyes. Her face was dirty and she had heavy bags under her eyes, which indicated that she hadn't been asleep all night.  
  
"What the hell? Cecilia? Hey, Cecilia!" Jack sternly said. The girl was practically nodding off as he talked; her head bobbing every which way because she was tired. "Cecilia! Can you hear me?"  
  
"::yawn!:: Jack…? Hey…Jack."  
  
"Cecilia! Don't tell me you haven't been asleep yet! Oh boy…"  
  
"I…know. Yeah, I haven't been asleep for a long time. I only got maybe an hour. I'm not tired….really! ::yawn!::"  
  
Jack shook her head, while McDullen helped her to her feet. "Damnit!"  
  
"Hey," Cecilia said sleepily. "Gurdijeff visited me last night…in my dreams, and he said that he could take us to Port Timney."  
  
"What?" McDullen said. "Gurdijeff? Who is that?"  
  
"He's a Guardian," Jack told him. "Now Cecilia, are you sure you aren't hallucinating from lack of sleep? I mean, I'm not sure about this."  
  
"…Really Jack. He did really visit me. And he said he'll take us whenever we're…ready. Are we ready now?"  
  
"…"  
  
"Seriously Jack. I'm not lying! ::yaaawn!::"  
  
"…Fine, fine. Let's go then."  
  
"All right then," Cecilia managed. "McDullen, will you come too?"  
  
"To Port Timney, Miss? I would be glad to."  
  
"All…right. The both of you, grab my hands. We need to join hands for Gurdijeff's powers to take us all there."  
  
Both men did as they were told, grabbing one of her hands while they took each other's other hand. Hanpan hopped up on Cecilia's shoulder and held on to her so that it would work on her too. A few moments passed in silence before a miniature version of Gurdijeff's ethereal form appeared in the triangle of people, whisking them off to faraway lands in bright globes of light.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Light materialized in a foreign city on its neighboring harbor, bringing about three people in its wake. Cecilia, Jack and McDullen checked their surroundings and concluded that they really had made it to Port Timney through the usage of Guardian power.  
  
"Amazing!" McDullen said, shocked. "This really is Port Timney! The ships over yonder, the soothing swell of mother ocean…a feeling such as this I would be hard-pressed to let slip from the mind!"  
  
"I guess it is," Jack said. "I guess we have your Guardian friends to thank, eh Cecilia?"  
  
"Yeah," she responded. "Hmm, I'm not sleepy anymore."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"Yeah. That light rejuvenated me, from how I feel."  
  
"Great, great. Hey, you know," Jack said, matter-of-factly looking around at his surroundings. "I hate to ruin a perfectly happy moment, buy where in the hell are the citizens of this town at?"  
  
McDullen caught on exactly as he inquired about that. "That is odd. This port town is usually a bustling hub of seafaring activity, promiscuous tramps seeking little more than release and gleeful sailors, not to mention haggling merchants peddling their ill-begotten wares on virtually every street corner. But, as you mentioned, there is simply no sign of life!"  
  
"…Uh, yeah. And it's really quiet too," Hanpan quipped, hopping off Cecilia's shoulder and into Jack's pocket, where he usually took up residence. "But seriously, this is really creepy! And…hey! It looks like someone's hurt over there!"  
  
True, all three saw an unknown figure cloaked in tattered brown robes laying perilously close to the edge of the docks, where a ship with a large statue of a lion sat at its rear. The group approached quickly--yet carefully with minds on edge--to check on the mysterious person who looked to be unconscious. Cecilia backed off, holding her hands to her mouth in anticipation as Jack and McDullen examined this person. The master swordsman kneeled over the robed figure and shook him in an attempt to rouse him from his unconsciousness.  
  
"Hey! Hey Mister!" Jack yelled. "You all right? You aren't bleeding or anything are you?"  
  
"Sir, if you don't mind me saying," McDullen calmly interrupted, halting his progress. "Perhaps we would do well to seek shelter for the injured. This ocean wind cannot be aiding in his recovery…"  
  
"…Yeah. Well, help me pick him up."  
  
"Certainly."  
  
The men were about to pick the person up from the hardwood flooring of the dock, when a mysterious yet cutting female voice resounded from out of the sky.  
  
"Simpletons! You fools simply can't understand the trap you've fallen into, I fear! A-ha-ha-ha!"  
  
The voice shocked all three people, causing them to look around warily for anything to happen now. Gripping the handle of his sheathed sword on reflex, Jack motioned for Cecilia to take guard.  
  
"Who are you?" Jack asked sternly. "Show yourself! Can I rightfully assume that you're the one responsible for the disappearance of the citizens of this city?"  
  
"What if I am, brave man?" the voice responded. Whoever it was hadn't a shred of fear detectable at all in her voice. "If I were to answer 'yes', what would you do to me?"  
  
"Show yourself, woman! And discover the answer to that question!"  
  
"Mmm. Brute force against intellect…that just will not do! Aren't all men stupid, my dear Innocent One?"  
  
"…! W-Who are you?" Cecilia stuttered. "You want this statue? Why are you toying with us like this? Why?"  
  
"Ha-ha-ha! Toying, you say…? An interesting way to put it, 'toying'…but, if that is how you want it, then that is how it shall be! Because, after all that you have done to us, we will never relent in our struggle against the cancerous scourge called 'humanity!"  
  
"Shut up, you wench!" Jack yelled. "Come out and fight, and lose in honor!"  
  
"…" Nothingness ensued after the calm. Jack silently cursed the skies, standing side by side by McDullen, who valiantly got in front of Cecilia to protect her from any harm. The men waited for whoever it was to show herself. Yet none of them had noticed what had been the supposed unconscious figure slowly rising to its feet behind them, shedding the cloth and gripping a small ARM in his left hand. The one with blue hair, as he was called…came to his feet and wickedly grinned, aiming the gun at the back of the girl's head with dead silence. As that happened, a tall red-haired woman in clad black armor emerged from darkness before them, holding a serrated scythe in both hands. That was followed by the sound of an unsheathing sword from the user of the Fast Draw.  
  
"So you are the one!" McDullen stated. "Tell us this instant, woman! To what locale did the people of Port Timney attend?"  
  
"…Idiot. You blabbering idiot!" Harken hissed. "None of you know a thing, do you? They're all dead! Do you hear me, you morons? Dead!"  
  
"How could you…how could you do this?" Jack said, losing emotion is his voice. "They didn't deserve to die! Why couldn't you just leave them out of this? We're the ones you want! Why bring innocent people into this struggle…folks who wish to live their lives in peace?"  
  
"…Heh. Especially you?" the woman retorted harshly. "I think the term you are searching for is 'ignorant bliss', not 'peace'. The masses would much rather live their lives not knowing what problems loom over the horizon for them! And besides, you humans cannot take care of your own Filgaia! So it is in our best interests--not to mention the world's best interests--to snatch this world away from you for ourselves!"  
  
"…You're wrong. You're dead wrong."  
  
"Am I, little man?" she said as she chuckled at him. "Am I wrong? If I am, feel free to prove to me that your path is the true path to follow. That is…if you can fight."  
  
"We'll prove it to you!" Cecilia said. "The both of us, together! Come on, Jack! Let's get her!"  
  
"Yes," he agreed. "Let's."  
  
"Ha…A-ha-ha-ha!" You have got to be kidding me!" Harken said. "Tell you what. I don't like these odds. Maybe you would want to fight one-on-one with me? If you oblige, I'll even spare your life long enough to think that you have a chance of winning against me!"  
  
"No chance," he said, rebuking her offer. "You get no mercy."  
  
"Ah well, I thought I'd at least try. Looks like I may have to call in some help, eh?" Harken grinned from ear to ear, taking a battle stance. "Take a look behind you."  
  
"What?" Jack said.  
  
All three turned around to see that the Holmcross had been there all along, and that he now had a ARM aimed directly at Cecilia. The woman, paralyzed with fright and disbelief at the sight of this person, could not move at all. McDullen gasped, realizing that he recognized him and had seen him before this time.  
  
"O-Out of the question! You are that man from Court Seim! The man who was found washed-up on the outskirts of the city on the beach! You are aligned with the Demons?"  
  
"Well well well," Rudy said in a slick manner. "Mr. McDullen, I presume? Those were some trying times back then, when I had been confined to that bed in that rickety old house. I never got to thank that woman's father quite properly as he nursed me back to health along with the support of the people. And I never got to introduce myself properly to you either."  
  
"You unbending…mischievous, teasing rogue! You have some nerve to do this to the people!" McDullen shot an angry glare at him, continuing to berate him verbally. "You're a lousy cur!  
  
"Yeah yeah, whatever you say. Now listen…" Rudy smugly said, making McDullen even madder. "I think you talk too much. Frankly, you should take my advice and shut up before I decide to murder the whole lot of you."  
  
"…You coward!" Jack yelled. "Is this how you repay us? After how Cecilia and I accepted you? I can't believe this!"  
  
"Harsh words from a never-was, never-will-be swordsman," Rudy sharply countered, tapping the barrel of the gun against his temple. "I guess stupidity takes all kinds, doesn't it? Face it pea-brain, you can't win against the Demons. Give up like a good boy, and let us handle the rest."  
  
"Grrr…you're gonna pay for this. I swear it!"  
  
"Hey, behind you," Harken quickly said, catching the three of them off-guard.  
  
They turned around to meet her trying to charge Jack. He met her attempt by blocking the head of the scythe off with his blade, but his strength could not compare to hers in the least. He was slowly sinking to the ground under her weight and strength, gritting his teeth as she smiled wickedly at him. McDullen grabbed a long wooden oar that had been left laying around on the docks and swung it at Harken, hitting her directly in the top of the head. It sent her faltering backwards in dizziness, causing her scythe to dematerialize at the loss of her mental concentration. Jack regained his strength and charged, along with McDullen flanking him to attack the defenseless attacker. When all of a sudden…  
  
"Hold it right there!" Rudy yelled.  
  
It wasn't his voice that caused them to stop dead in their tracks, but the suppressed screams from Cecilia. Rudy had taken her hostage, gripping her neck with his right bicep while holding the gun to her head. She was desperately struggling to gain freedom from her captive, but to no avail. His strength was simply too much for her.  
  
"What! What in God's name…" McDullen gasped.  
  
"Bastard!" Jack yelled. "You will stoop to new lows every time…!"  
  
"Heh. Say whatever you will! I know my mission. Now…let her through!"  
  
The two of them stood there, looking for an ample opportunity to attack Rudy. There didn't seem to be any time, however, and he just reiterated his commands over and over to let Harken pass. Jack slowly inched toward him with sword in hand, not wanting to make any mistakes in getting Cecilia back from potential harm. McDullen had dropped his oar to the ground in compliance to Rudy's commands. But none of them noticed Harken gaining power once again as she got to her feet once more.  
  
"::cough:: Mc…Dullen…look…" Cecilia managed to say.  
  
"…Miss?  
  
He turned around to see the woman with a glazed-over look in her eyes…a look of madness. With scythe in hand once more, he had no opportunity to avoid her attack. Mercilessly, she swung it and buried its head directly into his chest. With look of horror and pain on his face, and his hands stained crimson with his own essence, McDullen fell over dead by the woman's blow.  
  
"God, no!" Jack screamed. "Aaahhhh!"  
  
"Hmm-hmm-hmm…ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! ::cough cough:: That's…how Fast Draw is done," she said.  
  
"…I hate you! Monster!"  
  
"Rudy, destroy the statue!" Harken commanded. "Shoot it! Now!"  
  
"Yes, Lady. As you command."  
  
Ignoring the pleas of Cecilia, and with Jack filled with rage at Harken, the Holmcross aimed the gun at the lion's head on the statue that sat on the ship and shot, causing it to explode upon impact. Bright yellow essence flowed out of the crevice, along with a darkened chunk of material that immediately flew off into the sky to destinations unknown. Rudy and Harken shielded their eyes, as the light was bane to them. After a few moments, the light died down, leaving silence in its wake.  
  
"No…" Cecilia uttered softly. "No…no, no, no…"  
  
"That is the limitation of human skill," Rudy whispered into her ear. "You knew all of the statues would be destroyed. Now look at you. Now~~"  
  
He had stopped taking. Something caught his eye…the sight of a woman who had been exposed to the light for too long. A red-haired woman who had changed somehow. She lay unconscious on the ground with a long blue ribbon tied into her hair. Jack uncovered his eyes after the blast of light and saw this woman. Who he had saw made his mouth fall open agape in absolute disbelief.  
  
"…No. I-It can't…be her…is it?"  
  
"Uh-oh, this isn't good!" Rudy said aloud. "Time to retreat!"  
  
The man let Cecilia go and ambushed Jack from behind, pushing him off of the docks into the ocean. With one quick swoop, he took the woman into his arms and flew away high into the skies with her.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	8. Lionheart xxCouragexx

Holmcross Project Deep: Lionheart -Courage-  
  
  
  
  
  
Since that day when Harken attacked, Jack uttered few words. None pertinent to her, and none to Hanpan, whom he was close to on a personal level. Cecilia remembered that after Jack climbed out of the water he just stood in a trance, staring into the open sky. After that she helped him to bury McDullen, who had been killed by the female Demon knight in battle, on the outskirts of town before dusk arrived. The swordsman maintained a form of wordless communication which she seemed to understand perfectly. When to hand him a shovel, when to place the makeshift adornments around the grave…she understood it all.  
  
His attitude had become drastically different, though. Something happened that night that Cecilia would never soon forget between her and the solemn fighter…something so amazing that it couldn't quite be put into words.  
  
~~~~~  
  
That night, at the local inn, Cecilia had been awoken by the sound of music. She couldn't sleep that well anyway, so she decided to investigate the source of the soothing sounds.  
  
As soon as she stepped foot outside, the music became even more quite fluid as it echoed throughout the city. The girl looked around, to see nothing of great importance near her. Jack was nowhere in sight, yet the sound of the guitar was well within her immediate vicinity. She then looked up to see the silhouette of a man sitting on the roof of a house adjacent to the inn, playing an instrument while seemingly whispering something into the open air.  
  
"…Jack?" Cecilia called out to him. However, it seemed that he didn't hear. "Umm…"  
  
Looking for a way to reach his location, she noticed a pile of large crates sitting right around the corner, on the right side of the building. She was able to climb the pile successfully and reach the roof, where Jack sat mouthing something to himself silently while continuing to play the guitar. He had been so involved that he never noticed her come up. It wasn't until she called out for him loud enough that the delicate music stopped. In response, Jack raised his head up enough to see her out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"What is it? Can't get any sleep?" His tone of voice indicated that his mood hadn't changed since earlier in the day. "Stay up this late and you'll catch a cold."  
  
"No, not that. I just worry about you, is all…!"  
  
Too late. Cecilia didn't catch it until it came out of her mouth. 'I just worry about you,' she said. "Damnit, damnit, damnit!" she silently regretted saying.  
  
"Eh? Worry?"  
  
"Wait a minute, I didn't mean it like that! I'm not worried!"  
  
"No…no, that's right. You are worried." Jack extended his arm in a show of acceptance to her, and beckoned for the girl to come nearer. "Come sit by me."  
  
Now, she thought, it was getting strange. He just asked her to come sit by him, and this was under no normal circumstance. Acting with a little caution, she did what she was asked and sat down next to him. Immediately, he put his arm around her in what was to her a surprising display of emotion. The overwhelming smell of hard liquor hit Cecilia hard, as she soon noticed.  
  
"Ahh, that's it." he said. "Now, what are you worried about? You can say it, 'cause I won't be offended."  
  
"N-No, it's nothing. Don't listen to my ramblings."  
  
"C'mon. You came out here looking for me for no real reason whatsoever? I can't believe that you'd do that; you came here to talk." Cecilia was feeling real uncomfortable right at this moment, but couldn't muster up the strength to leave him. "So go ahead," he continued. "Shoot."  
  
And shoot she did, with little hesitation. After all, she figured it was too late to back out now; what worse could happen? "I won't lie, Jack. I am really worried about you. And so is Hanpan, but he didn't come with me. Ever since that woman arrived, you've been acting quite strange. Stranger than usual, to be frank with you." She paused for a few seconds to gather up her willpower, then continued. "Was that woman…Elmina?"  
  
"Sort of," Jack replied. The liquor had loosened his reticent demeanor, she noticed, because normally he would've shrugged off a question like that. "Yes…yes it was Elmina. I'm sure of it; it had to be her."  
  
"All right," she continued. "What will you do now? Will you go look for her?"  
  
"…I am not sure. Maybe not."  
  
"What?" Cecilia gasped, shocked. Obviously she had expected a different answer from him. "Then what will you do then? She's alive; Elmina isn't dead like you previously thought! And she needs you, I bet."  
  
"She's not…alive. She is, but…it's strange; I could feel her essence there. Whatever that thing was, wasn't really her. It had Elmina's shape and form, but she would never kill anyone that cruelly. But it…looked like her."  
  
"I see…but~~"  
  
"It looked like her," Jack said again. "It looked like her, it looked exactly like her…"  
  
"…I…know Jack. It's all right." Cecilia consoled him by giving him a little hug. However, the atmosphere still didn't seem right to her. Something, she felt, was occurring. But she couldn't put her finger on quite what that 'something' was.  
  
"…" The man looked away from her and into the open skies above, never missing a word. "She…gave me this guitar. When I became a member of the Elites. It was a wonderful day, that one…but, I miss those days. Those shining days of joy when I had no worries for the future." He paused, then looked down at Cecilia, who had never taken her eyes off of him. "Who knew a pack of bloodthirsty monsters would come and tear out my heart?"  
  
"…Arctica?"  
  
"Yes, that place," he said sadly. "It was that place, wasn't it? I hear of rampant monsters running loose in that place, from people all over the world. Someday, I'm going to return to Arctica and cleanse the hallowed castle grounds of foul monster life…"  
  
"Really," she asked.  
  
"…No. I told that to myself long, long ago. When I still had any shred of dignity or desire for a better world left in me. That, my dear princess, has vanished along with my sense of self-worth. But don't feel sorry for me…because Garrett is cold, dead and in the ground."  
  
"…" How could she say something to comfort him there?  
  
"Honestly," he continued on. "I have no desire to return to Arctica. Nor do I have any desire to see that…that 'woman' who killed those people again. So don't take anything I say too seriously, because it doesn't make a lot of sense. All of that drivel I uttered was a tainted batch of repressed memories from a man who refuses to fade away into obscurity."  
  
"Oh, Jack…don't say that."  
  
"Heh, it's true. You wanted to know, remember?"  
  
"That's right, I did. But I don't think you should give up so easily like that."  
  
Jack simply smiled at her wanly, admiring her perseverance. "You don't know how tough it is for me. Don't feel pity for me, because I'll only bring you down. You're still young, however, and you have the power to advance as far as you deem fit in life…"  
  
"…Yes. You do too however," she told him."  
  
"No…no, no, no. That's not right. I'm afraid I've already given up; that sentiment doesn't hold any water in this era of grief.   
  
Obviously, his sentiment resounded with her. She, too, felt like throwing in the towel. But in this time of circumstances, she could only depend on herself for the inner strength she needed to continue on, and she knew that that meant taking fuller charge of everything. Obstacles placed in Cecilia' path were to be removed if her mission had any chance of succeeding…  
  
"A 'leader'…me, a leader?" Cecilia wondered, glancing over at her fraught friend. "Before this, he was the one that supported me, whenever it became too much for the Innocent One to bear. Now, can I take on that role? By myself, as an independent, righteous 'leader' set out to right the impurities that grow ever stronger on this planet?" Honestly, it never dawned on her that she was able to lead people. But she was a Princess, so…  
  
"Cecilia."  
  
The girl didn't notice that he resumed talking. "What?" she asked, looking into his eyes sincerely.  
  
Jack brought his gaze back down to her face. "Do you…know what love is?"  
  
"Love? Ah, it could mean a bunch of different things to different people. Why do you ask?"  
  
"I am beginning to think that I don't know what love is," he said solemnly. "I feel like running away from it all. Elmina is still alive, sort of. And that's all I ever wanted in life, is her…"  
  
"I understand. You love her?"  
  
"Yes. I do, really. It's just that…I couldn't ever face her again, after I failed to save her. She became a Demon, because I wasn't there. Isn't that odd how it worked out like that? But then again, in life you truly can't expect the pieces to magically fall in place for you."  
  
"…"  
  
"Once everything seems perfect…for once in your life, when all of the pieces are aligned in perfect position, it all comes messed up for you."  
  
"…"  
  
Jack gazed at her then hung his head in pity. "Heh, I'm the one who rambles, right?"  
  
"What…oh, no. No! You're right; life is tough. I completely agree with you."  
  
"…All right," he responded simply. "Cecilia…I have something to tell you."  
  
She took her head out of her hands and looked at him again. "Hmm?"  
  
"…I have made a decision. I can't stay with you any longer."  
  
Cecilia's eyes widened at the thought of him leaving her. They had been traveling together for so long; he was like an old friend to her. And he tells her that he's leaving? "…Oh my god. No, Jack!" she exclaimed. "You can't leave me! I can't do this by myself!"  
  
"…Cecilia," Jack whined. "I'll just bring you down if I stay with you! What's more, I could not protect you from that creep earlier on today! If I hadn't been there, he would've probably kidnapped you or something! Listen to me; you can do this on your own. You don't need me; you have Guardians and magic to aid you. What use is a pathetic swordsman like me to you?"  
  
"That's…simply not true!" she cried. "It's not true! You're there for me all the time!"  
  
"…"  
  
"Jack! Say something!"  
  
But he didn't say anything. Instead, he stood up, picked up his guitar and walked away from her, making his way down the stacked crates on the side of the house. "A ship should be coming any day now. Perhaps it will be one that can provide us safe passage back to the kingdom, where you could plan the next attack against Mother and her horde. When we get back to Aldehyde, we'll part ways for good. Emma, Johan and the others will most certainly be of more help to you than I have…" Jack saw the sadness in her eyes and tried to cheer her up. "Come on! It won't be that bad! You'll benefit if you take some of the knights with you. You're the princess, so finding adequate help won't be that tough to do!"  
  
And that's how it happened. In a whirlwind decision, Jack Van Burace decided his skills were not adequate enough to help her out. He could say nothing to lift her spirits after that; his own were so far in the dumps anyhow. It was anything but a gentlemanly act, but Jack left Cecilia on the roof to be by herself, while he returned to the inn to get some rest. The sniffles and the sobs from the girl were very well heard in this dead of night. Each tear…each sob she emitted caused his heart to wrench that much further.  
  
What can I do," he thought. "What must I do? Go back to her? Tell her 'I'm sorry?' I can't help her, but others can. So…" Jack stopped before he went back inside, looking up at the silhouette sitting on the roof, crying by herself. He wanted desperately to help her. But there was something stopping him. A lacking feeling that he couldn't put his finger on, but was detrimental to his abilities as a Fast Draw user. Jack looked up at her, shook his head in regret, and went inside to get some rest.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The ship that arrived four days later sailed leisurely under the medium-strength winds on the high ocean back towards Aldehyde. Cecilia and Jack avoided each other for the entire duration of the voyage, albeit the ship being so cramped. Meals were eaten separately, and Hanpan acted as a voluntary go-between for the duo. Nothing worked, however, and it seemed destined that he was to leave the poor girl high and dry. It went even as far as the male counterpart sleeping out on the deck of the ship in the cold air of the sea at nighttime. Of course, it wasn't comfortable for either one of them. But Jack still had terrible regrets about what he did that night. Finally, one week later, they arrived at the kingdom, which looked as good as new after the attack…  
  
~~~~~  
  
"…Here we are…I guess…" Cecilia muttered to herself.  
  
"Yeah….here we are…!" Jack tentatively agreed. "Home sweet home…! The place looks as good as new, a-ha-ha-ha…!"  
  
"…Jack," she asked him, turning around to look into his eyes. "Please reconsider. I don't want you to leave. I'll be lonely by myself."  
  
"You're not by yourself, Princess. Emma and Johan are here for you, not to mention the rest of the knight squad…you'll fare just fine; I'm sure of it."  
  
"That's a lie! I don't know what I'll do when you're gone! I'll~~"  
  
Jack held a finger to her lips, calming her down. Idle townsfolk had begun to stare at the both of them curiously. Some of them attentively recognized her as the heir to the throne without fail on first sight of her. "Shh, people are looking at you. Now…I need to tell you why I'm doing this."  
  
"Please, say it," she asked him. "I want to know."  
  
"That truth is…I will go to look for Elmina. I have to know what is wrong with her, and how I can cure her. So please, don't be sad."  
  
"…" Cecilia was sad. And she made no attempt to hide her sadness from his sight. What made it painful was that she really did understand why he wanted to go; it was the woman he loved. "I…understand, really. I will still be lonely without you here. But I'll…find some way to persevere through such demanding times without you."  
  
"See, there you go…it won't be that bad!"  
  
At that time, High Council Johan, along with a small contingent of knights, came ambling down the path from the castle to greet her upon her return. The adviser, however, didn't look to be in good health; heavy bags were visible under his eyes, and his face & head were riddled with discolored spots. Cecilia picked up on this right away.  
  
"Oh, Minister Johan!" she gasped. "Are you ill? What happened?"  
  
"Ah, my…dear industrious princess…as youthful as ever…it would seem," Johan replied, laboring under short breath. "No, no…I am alright. However, I…cannot stand for too long. Do not worry."  
  
"I worry though, even if you say not to. But, I'm here for you. Now…" Cecilia turned to Jack and smiled softly. "I guess this is goodbye…right?"  
  
"Yeah…guess so. I hate how things had to be like this."  
  
"No, I support your decision, even if I don't like it. But, she is your true love."  
  
"Thanks. It really means a lot coming from you. Seriously."  
  
Cecilia gave him a big hug, considering the fact that she would never see him again. She also gave Hanpan, who was sitting on Jack's shoulder, a little scratch on the head to show her affection to him as well. Upon exchange of final, tearful farewells, Cecilia escorted the weakened Minister Johan back to the castle, where they could begin to plan their next moves against the Demons. To Jack and Hanpan, it was a whirlwind affair; now it seemed like they didn't matter anymore. They immediately felt an emptiness that couldn't be repaired in their hearts upon leaving Cecilia.  
  
"Jack?" Hanpan asked in a sniffling voice. "Does this mean we'll never see Cecilia again?"  
  
In response, the man hung his head. "I don't know, sport…I just don't know…"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Meanwhile, back at the headquarters of the Demon Queen Mother, more wicked plans were beginning to hatch from the minds of evil…the kingdom of Aldehyde was secretly being monitored by someone. A youth stared at a large display overhead. To his right sat a large crystalline-reinforced glass tube, with something vicious glaring down at him through amber eyes, under a headdress of darkened feathers and a face seemingly sculpted out of porcelain. Finally, what the three pieces of darkened heart were meant to do had taken place…  
  
"Hmm-hmm-hmm," Rudy laughed, looking at the large display. He began to pace back and forth, with serrated-edged sword in hand. "A-ha-ha-ha! Well well, look what we have here! It seems my pretty little canary as returned to her coop after all! Planning on destroying my liege without utter tact, Innocent One? Ha-ha-ha…you cannot do such things, child. Matters such as this are best left unattended to, allowing fate to take it's rightful course. And you've lost the only person willing to help you, as well…not a great turn of events in my honest opinion. I would imagine the Guardians would even agree with me on this issue--that you have already lost the war--Cecilia. Isn't that right….Mother?"  
  
He turned to the glass tube and looked at the feminine enigma inside. Without said words she smiled a evil smile, further engaging his ego to new limits. At that time, Zeikfried abruptly entered Mother's domicile with a suggestion.  
  
"I heard everything you said, Holmcross. Remember who you are; you certainly aren't one of us. However, I did not come here to break you into pieces."  
  
"Ahh, I…understand," he hissed. "What is it then? Shouldn't you be tending to the woman? The queen and I will take a leave of absence, as we are departing for the Elw Dimension in coming days upon us. We have identified a suitable contact at official point 1F6-AL49 on Filgaian Map Source."  
  
Zeikfried had been pushed to the sidelines--rather, demoted--upon Mother's arrival into the world. The queen leader held a mysterious bond with the boy, allowing him to take full control of the defunct Quarter Knights in his unceremonious ouster from leadership. He resented the boy, and he was starting to resent Mother as well, although he would never utter that sentiment aloud.  
  
"Queen Mother!" Zeikfried pleaded. "Before you depart for the hidden dimension, I humbly suggest a quick campaign on the kingdom of Aldehyde to purge the Innocent One from her fortress! This is the most opportune time, liege, to be rid of our greatest enemy once and for all!"  
  
Rudy thought about it and smiled at that idea, and turned to Mother as well. "Your son has a point; this is simply too great of a chance to forfeit. If we extract the healthy life from the defenseless Elw land, Cecilia would officially be a non-factor in the scenario anyway. Also, as much as I adore the idea of getting the life as rapidly as possible, I want to play it safe from hereafter."  
  
Mother, glaring down at both of her followers, agreed to the idea without much thought. "So it shall be. Zeikfried, bring the girl; she will make a suitable meal when I thirst for blood once more. We will strike their home base tonight, in a night raid they will not soon forget." Mother laughed out loud; a chilling feeling echoing throughout the laboratory. "Yes, yes! Innocent One…girl in service of the Guardians…I will end your life tonight, and proceed with 'Ultimate Plan Divine'…"  
  
Rudy nodded and smiled, leaving the laboratory in agreement with her on the strike. However, what he failed to tell her was that he had plans of his own as well…"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Later that night, back at Aldehyde Castle in the Tactical Strategy Room, Cecilia, Johan, Emma and a contingent of hand-picked knights sat around a large square table with a map of Filgaia rolled out on top, tirelessly putting together an attack plan to kill Mother and retrieve the Tear Drop. However, all was not well…  
  
"No, not like that, you fool!" one knight shouted at a colleague across the table. "Attacking head-on in this situation is not sound war strategy! Our troops would be annihilated instantly against their forces! Remember what happened in Saint Centour!"  
  
The other knight jumped up from his chair, slamming his hands on the table. "Moron! What are you going to do, send our troops over mountains to sneak into their base?! Move the mountains themselves?! The very trip would exhaust at least two-thirds of the men, and that's just crossing the frozen terrain! We need to drop them off in Arctica for a quick purge, near their headquarters, so that he have a chance of succeeding…do you intend to lose even before you fight?!"  
  
Knight #1 stood aghast at his insult. "…Unruly cur! I'm the war veteran, not a rookie know-it-all, like yourself! We old-school warriors can hold up in the harshest of conditions! We have the training that your generation never had the privilege of receiving! All because the kingdom needed the extra soldiers…ha!"  
  
Knight #2 rebutted harshly. "What you did in the past is insignificant! We're dealing with an enemy that is beyond our comprehension; something that is paranormal, and you suggest crossing the frozen Meyar-Glassan Mountain Range to sneak-attack a force that would discover us even before we touched down on the battlefield? I may be a 'rookie', but that's better than being an old, stupid, senile fool with the strategical sense of a Pillbug! You run away when your hide gets whipped enough, I understand!"  
  
"What…! You young punk…that's it!" Knight #1 threw down his gauntlets and jumped over the table, attacking Knight #2.  
  
It soon erupted into an all-out brawl, with knights who agreed with one pitted against knights who agreed with the other, yelling and screaming at each other. Cecilia, Emma and Johan could not believe what they were witnessing before them; the deterioration of the Royal Guard. The princess shielded her eyes in total disgust and hopelessness. It seemed they were destined to fail with war plans, until a wall-shaking explosion violently jostled the castle. It threw everyone off of their chairs, practically. Amidst the uncertainty and panic that followed, the voice of someone familiar was being amplified from places unknown.  
  
"Princess Cecilia!" Rudy sternly said, standing at the entrance of the city, which was incidentally now in flames once more. "Come out of hiding this instant! Give up! The city is surrounded by my minions, and your knights are dying out here with each passing second! You cannot win this fight! I repeat, you absolutely cannot win this fight against us!" A brief silence followed, then he began to speak once again. This time, his voice had a less patient tone. "If you do not come out, I will burn this entire city to the ground! Do you hear me, Innocent Once? Your loyal subjects will go to the grave, encased in charred, crispy flesh, if you do not come out!"  
  
Almost as if it were on reflex, the Royal Guard unsheathed their weapons and left the room, heading out to the battlefield which was their fair city. "These boys and their toys," the eccentric Emma commented. "Must be 'sword envy'. When one whips it out, the others follow suit. Don't they know it's not how big the sword is; it's how you use it that matters? Heh-heh-heh…"  
  
"Emma…" Cecilia moaned, shaking her head. "Not now, please…"  
  
"Heh. But it's true though."  
  
Minister Johan interrupted with an opinion of his own making. "Ahem! Princess…what will you do? It is dangerous out there…I for one will not force you…to go. But the citizens…the citizens…::hack, wheeze!::"  
  
That was the decision-maker. Actually, Cecilia didn't give it a second thought; she knew her mission and what had to be done. "Emma, take Johan to safety. Get as far to the back of the castle as you possibly can. Get some of the maids to round up the other castle workers, and tell them to also get to the back of the castle. Soon, monsters will try to enter…and I want as few deaths as possible right now. So please…"  
  
Emma waved her off, helping Johan up from his chair. "S'okay, Miss C. Get the people together, and get the hell out of the way is basically what you're saying." The quirky woman had made it to the door, with Johan at her side. At that point there was another explosion, which knocked pieces of brick out of the ceiling. Emma looked up and cocked an eye at this experience. "Shoddy work? If I live through this, remind me to deck one of the builders, heh…"  
  
"You'll live, Emma…if I have anything to do with it."  
  
"Heh, good…go out there and get 'em, girl. I'm rooting for you.  
  
Emma and Johan left, while Cecilia stood there alone. She thought about all of the knights who had probably died by now, succumbing to the sneak attack…and of the innocent mothers clinging to their children, running away in fear of the imminent threat looming over their home and their lives. In retrospect it was like Saint Centour all over again.  
  
But this time, she was going to do something about it. She couldn't run now.  
  
"Father, mother…watch me on the battlefield. I swear I'll do my best, and I'll make the both of you proud…"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Jack, this isn't good!" Hanpan exclaimed, hoping up and down on the grass in front of him. "Aldehyde is under siege yet again! We have to help them out!"  
  
"…" The man looked on from atop a hill, his chest rising and falling under heavy breath.  
  
"Hey! Hey, Jack! Hello in there?! Hello?"  
  
"…Is it…"  
  
"What? Hello? Filgaia to Jack Van Burace! Cecilia is probably in BIG trouble down there!"  
  
"…I…can I…?"  
  
"Ohhh! You…you!" Hanpan glared at the man, who seemed to be in some sort of trance. "Forget you! I'm going back to Cecilia! All you've been doing is moping around out here, regretting how you left her. And now look what's happening down there! Well, that's fine. Because I'll have no part of it!"  
  
With that, Hanpan scurried off to Aldehyde in a blue flash of light. Jack stood there in his trance, unable to even draw his sword out. Was he unable to head into battle at this time? Or was it because he didn't want to fight? He was missing something, and it was something he needed desperately to battle…something that he had lost in the previous fight against Elmina. Jack needed 'the power' that he so desperately searched the world for.  
  
"The power…" Jack said in a daze-like state. "I need the power…that's it. Will you help me, Sir Lionheart?"  
  
After around 30 minutes of just standing there, he made a decision. Although he wasn't sure it was the right one, it was a done deal. Sprinting rather quickly, Jack headed for Aldehyde once again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Mother, who had been flanked by Rudy Roughnight and his subordinate Zeikfried, stood over a mass of charred bodies that belonged to the Royal Guard and some of the townsfolk. Cecilia was exhausted; after firing off virtually every spell she could muster, her body lacked the energy to do anything, let alone move about freely. She sit in a slump before them, unable to act to defend herself. The smell of death, smoke and tainted power permeated her senses, as the girl struggled to get to her feet one again to battle the encroaching evil upon her. Shadowy specter-like monsters with blood-red eyes hovered around her as they beckoned her to accept her seemingly undeniable death. Zeikfried, with Elmina in his arms, put the woman down and pulled out his spear.  
  
"The end is nigh, rebellious human…do not fight your ultimate fate."  
  
"No," Cecilia panted. She tried to execute one more incantation, but it fizzled out from her scepter in the form of luminescent tinges of magical dust. "No, no, no…not now…"  
  
"Ha-ha-ha…is that it, girl? I will admit, for one girl you put up a good fight. But you are exhausted now. You cannot maintain that magic forever."  
  
"No, no, no…please…what do you want…with us? How come…all the death?"  
  
Zeikfried stared down at her, not satisfied at her question. "You know why, girl! It is because you exist that so many are forced to die. If you would just die, then no one else would have to."  
  
"I…cannot die…before my mission is fulfilled. Not ever."  
  
"Ha, great strength of will, from a defeated girl with no magic." Zeikfried raised his spear, ready to bring it down upon her in full force. "Prepare yourself for the afterlife!"  
  
"Noooooo!" a male voice yelled out from somewhere. "I'll not let you!"  
  
The former knight leader jumped in shock and looked around at his surroundings, wondering who would disturb his rampage and where this person was. "What the…you dare go against the will of Queen Mother, my liege? Impudent oaf! Show yourself!"  
  
"…Turn around, and receive your surprise, Demon."  
  
Rudy and Zeikfried did just as the voice told them. The hulking knight caught a glimpse of a large saber flying at him at high speed, before it ended up being buried into his chest. Upon impact, Zeikfried dropped very quickly to the ground, mortally wounded by the stunning blow.  
  
"…! What?!" Rudy exclaimed. "You! I thought you left Aldehyde!"  
  
"I'm back, you traitor. And now I'm gunning for your neck!"  
  
"Grr…my minions! Get him! Kill him now!"  
  
The shadows screamed through the air and made a beeline directly towards the mystery man. He managed to escape their claws and bites to run past Rudy and Mother and retrieve his sword from the defeated Zeikfried's corpse. Cecilia looked up and saw a glorious sight before her…someone who she thought was gone forever. Someone who found 'the power'.  
  
"Jack…I…I can't believe it!" she panted in relief, as tears rolled down her eyes.  
  
"We'll talk later! Don't worry; this is my fight!"  
  
The shadows were on their way again. Jack was ready, however…and as the lion idol in his head shattered in a blast of rock and light, he unsheathed his sword in a flash. Technique after technique had been executed, as shadow monsters dissipated into pieces under Jack's mighty sword skills. This regained power allowed him to fight once more, with strength and finesse etched into his heart. Shadow monsters swarmed the man in a cloud of darkness, only to be repelled through the power of 'courage' that Jack had rediscovered. His purpose in life now set in stone, he and his blade moved like the mighty wind itself under attack by evil. 30 seconds hadn't even passed before all of the shadow monsters had been defeated. After the swift battle, Jack raised his sword over his head and let out a primal war cry that struck fear in to the heart of the Queen Demon herself.  
  
"W-w-what are you?" Mother stuttered in a raspy voice. "Humans cannot have this type of strength!"  
  
Jack stared up at her through blue eyes that gleamed with inner strength. "You're wrong. Humans are capable of exhibiting tremendous amounts of power in times of crisis, and under extreme threat. We are all capable to doing this, which is why humans are not weak! We are powerful, all of us. And terrorism cannot break our collective conviction, nor can it shatter our courage!" Jack lowered his sword, holding it in front of him in battle position. "And I'll show you the power of 'courage'. Gyaaaaaaah!"  
  
The renewed swordsman charged at Mother, running her through her abdomen with his blade. Purple liquid, just like Rudy's life essence, ran out of her in massive amounts, as she shrieked in unbearable pain. He pulled the blade back out and tried to stab her again, but she disappeared in a cloud of dark mist. Upon that, Jack turned to Rudy, who had reflexively taken the coward's way out of the situation.  
  
"Stay back, you filth!" Rudy hissed, with his sword at the woman's throat. "If you want to see your precious Elmina alive again, you'll not move another inch!"  
  
"!!! You wretch. Where is your bravery? Where is your honor? She has nothing to do with this, so leave her out of it!"  
  
"Mwa-ha-ha-ha! I have things I need to do; you'll forgive me if I don't give a damn about honor or bravery at this moment!" he retorted harshly. "You say humans are strong because of your courage, but it is that very emotion that will get this girl killed if you persist! Think about it, human!"  
  
"…No, I know that's not it. It's because of people like you who get innocent people like her killed! Now put her down!"  
  
"Ha-ha-ha…Jack, I know your weakness now. And there is absolutely nothing you can do to prevent me from exploiting it!" Rudy sneered at him and took a few fearful steps back. "How about this? Since I couldn't kill the princess off tonight, I'll give the both of you a chance to kill me! Meet me at the shrine southeast of Rosetta Town in…2 weeks, and I will challenge you then. Got it? Mwa-ha-ha-ha…"  
  
"Face me now, coward!" Jack yelled at Rudy. "I'm sick of your games! Now!"  
  
"No, I'll face you later, warrior. You'll do as I say, or this girl is history!"  
  
His final words imparted, Rudy also disappeared in a cloud of mist. Jack was left there cursing the skies as the city around him burned on in the night. He had made another decision; a decision that Justine--a Prime Emotion Guardian--thrust upon him in battle. He would stay to fight this to the end. This was no longer about honor or saving Elmina. It was now about justice and doing the right thing.  
  
The final battle is on the horizon for the Innocent One and 'Garrett'…  
  
  



	9. Lady Invincible xxLovexx

Holmcross Project Deep: Lady Invincible -Love-  
  
  
  
  
  
Early morning light shone through the open portico leading to the balcony as Cecilia sat wide awake on her bed; the waking fog from the coastal shores blowing into her domicile in a fine cloud. The girl had slept very little, as the smell of blood, evil and Mother permeated her senses from last night's assault. After meeting her ex-friend a third time under trying circumstances, plaguing questions flooded her mind as to why Rudy Roughnight had become so warped with taint.

He used to be her friend--her companion and trusted friend--even though they had only known each other for a week. Something about that courageous, yet innocent glint in his eyes as they met for the first time in Aldehyde drew her toward him…like fate had dealt an active hand in their meeting. She remembered the curious glances he gave her as they battled together as Dream Chasers, when he thought she wasn't paying attention. And she as well…the youthful girl returned sneaking glances many a time behind the guise of curiosity and natural interest. She felt safe around him, a feeling that even Jack couldn't offer her…and she also felt pleasure.

That is why everything up until now pained her so…was it that feeling under lock-and-key in her heart that struggled to burst free back then? Surely she couldn't…

"Love?" Cecilia moaned, the words seemingly echoing. "No…no, but…could it be? Back then? But now, I couldn't possibly have that feeling."

She was right. His eyes had lost the glint she enjoyed; his spirit and his mind were undeniably warped beyond rehabilitation. Now the one who took on his form had become the epitome of terror itself. "Why must he commit such vile acts of viciousness upon us…on me?" she said out loud in suppressed pain. "Where is the real Rudy?"

"Hess no longer himself," came a stern voice from behind her. "I wouldn't fall in love with a beastly warmonger if I were you."

She knew. Jack, who also had slept very little, had been leaning up against the closed door of the bedroom listening to her talk to herself. The girl stood up and turned to address him.

"Oh…! I never heard you come in."

"No problem. Hey, you know the ship will be here in a few hours, right? We're gonna be busy for a while."

"Err, yes," she agreed laconically. "How long have you been there listening to me?"

"Long enough to hear how you really feel about him," he simply said.

"…" She honestly didn't know quite what to say. Eventually, after a few moments of silence, she hesitantly pulled a hair ribbon out of her blazer pocket. "I found this…on the streets, after Rudy and Mother fled," Cecilia told him earnestly, interrupting him. "I thought you might want it, seeing as how it came from the woman he kidnapped."

She walked up to Jack and pulled his left hand open, placing the long head-ribbon in his hand. The man stared down at it in his hand for a few seconds and gripped it tightly, bringing it to his chest. "Elmina…I won't fail again, I promise. My life is my word."

"Excuse me," she said, asking him to get out of the doorway.

"Ahh, sorry. There you go."

Cecilia got around the man and left him in there, cracking the door wide enough so she could get out. Once in the castle corridor outside of her quarters she closed the door and slumped against it. Did Jack truly not understand her feelings? Why didn't he? Elmina was in the same situation. If anything, she thought, he'd be supporting her. She thought it was slightly hypocritical for him to call Rudy that and not address Elmina as the same thing.

But she was torn. After everything he did in those villages and cities she visited, she couldn't understand why she felt like this.

"Why do I feel like this…why are you doing this to me?"

~~~~~

"Why are you doing this to me?" a man asked silently, standing on the second floor of the Mayor's brick house, looking on through the window at the carnage before him. A girl in red silk with long, furry ears lay unconscious in a bed behind him in the background next to an equally unconscious Elmina.

Rosetta Town. Mother in the distance, assimilating people whole into her stomach under early morning light. Her slimy tentacles grasping frantic people off of the ground one by one as she screamed through the buildings of the town…she was truly a literal ball of slime confined within a bionic body. A tall, garbed figure stood in the town square watching along with a light-purple feral dog-creature by his side, doing nothing to stop her. She would absorb the entire world if Rudy let her.

He didn't plan on doing so, however.

Was it the kind side of him rearing its head again? The wicked, cruel version detested the old Rudy; how he let others walk all over him, an especially how others hated him for what he had 'caused'. And especially how the old him would start to ponder like this. The citizens of Surf came to mind immediately as his fury grew ever so stronger, welling up in his body like searing magma prepared to shoot from a volcano. 'They' made him like this by forcing him out into the world. It was all 'their' fault.

"The fools…the ignorant fools did this to me," he whispered, a mix of both personalities coming together. "How I feel pity for them. They'll never be happy with what they have. She'll never be satisfied. They cast out one of their very own for the sake of comfort. Yes, yes…how I pity them."

No, that wasn't right. He pitied himself, along with the rest of humanity and the rest of the Demons. Yes…

His two minds were beginning to lock together, and Rudy knew that the wicked version would completely take over. If that were to occur, drastic terror would reign over the lands, and Mother would be unable to be halted in her search for eternal sustenance. She would feed off of the powers of the Elw Dimension until it became a crumpled shell of what life it once had, then she would move on to the next world. He had never met anyone as cruel as she; her foul, dark demeanor permeated through that porcelain visage of indifference she exhibited…and now no one but himself knew what she was capable of. The Quarter Knights were defeated, and what remaining forces were left in the Photosphere served as nourishment for her seemingly infinite appetite as she awoke from her slumber... He even recalled the promising young soldier named Zed who fell victim to the beast. She was as ugly in her true form as her heart was in its repaired form. All of this was incredibly painful to remember for him. All of this anguish…

"Mother," he said silently. "Mother, how could you? How…could I? We can't do this anymore…never."

He would act against her soon, while his sanity still held. This moment of crystal-clear clarity was his only attempt at righting the wrongs he had committed, or at least stopping the evil from flowing over anymore than it should. However, he didn't know what the repercussions would be for his actions.

Backing away from the view, Rudy returned to the bed and scooped up the girls, one in each arm into his arms. Then he headed down the staircase and out of the building. He would unlock the Elw Dimension tonight. His only prayer as he exited the city behind Mother was that the Darkness Tear wouldn't assimilate his mind fully until his friends arrived. He feared he would fulfill the threat he made to Jack if he didn't make it in time. 

"Cecilia…Cecilia, I have faith in you and Jack. While my sanity holds, you must save the world. Deliver me from this soul-warping confinement."

~~~~~~~~~~

The ship ride from Aldehyde to the beaches of the southern continent pushed the sails to their limits to meet the deadline. The ride was tricky and lasted a whole week, almost as if some force in the world attempted to hinder them from arriving. The princess and her warrior hit land under haste, hurrying to stop Rudy and Mother, and also to rescue Elmina from their grasp. Absolutely no time had been wasted on petty trifles as the pair frantically ventured across the lands in search of their destination. Four days of venturing had passed before Cecilia and Jack stumbled upon a town under pre-dawn conditions…

~~~~~

"This is it, right?" Cecilia asked no one in particular. "Rosetta? Is Mother here, waiting to kill us?" She took a few steps further into the city, curious as to why everything was dead quiet around her. "Odd, where are the citizens of this place? Where are…w-wait a minute. This feeling…!"

"…Stay sharp," her male companion told her, taking the lead. He had already held a grip on his sheathed saber, almost anticipating the unthinkable to occur. "Something's here, the power in the air is strange."

Indeed, something was here, waiting in the city for them. Cecilia inhaled the air lightly and dissected the smell for anything strange. Her senses soon stumbled onto something else within their range.

"Wait…wait, Jack. Don't go any further."

"What are you saying, Cecilia?" he responded, adamantly refusing to lower his guard. "Elmina's in danger!"

"…Look. Up there!" she gasped, pointing up.

On the roof of a building no further than 50 feet from the two sat a mysterious wolf-like creature sat looking down over them; it's gleaming lavender eyes fixed on their presence. Its golden leg-cuffs shone brightly even without the presence of morning light. The beast's ears and body were elongated and covered in fur the same color as its eyes, and its nostrils flared heavily while breathing outward.

"Now what in the hell is this?" Jack spoke aloud. "Pretty damned big wolf."

"Yes," a rusty-yet-calm voice said, penetrating the light fog. "Deadly, earth creature. To rip out your gullet in one serrated tear from its bloodthirsty fangs. How outrageously simple it would be to order it to do so."

The duo stood at full attention, realizing that they weren't alone in the abandoned hovel of a town. Frayed nerves clouded Jack's concentration as he paced around the girl, guarding her as if she were a newly-won prize not ready to be parted with. All the while silently signaling her to head for the exit, a giant figure garbed in black clothing stepped forth from behind an adjacent building to the one the wolf sat upon. A man of unbelievable height, this man's eyes were not visible…his emotions were as equally cloaked as he was physically, and a large metallic boomerang rested in a leather sheath that hooked onto his back. Stepping forth into visibility after a short pause the wolf soon jumped down from its perch after an ear-splitting howl, causing a mass exodus of sleeping birds to flee their trees in the village. It soon took its place at the left side of its obvious master while baring gleaming fangs all the while.

"Time to rumble!" Jack said impatiently. "I knew it wouldn't be THIS easy to get Elmina back!" He shook his fist angrily at the night stalker while keeping guard. "Tell me! Tell me, where is Elmina?"

"That girl which you seek? The one whom you abandoned long ago to pursue a life of prestige and 'power'?" the mysterious man countered, arms crossed and beginning again to step towards the both of them with the wolf in tow. "You left her to lead an existence of ineptitude whilst you gallivanted around searching for the very thing you had in the first place...! You cannot comprehend what you have lost once you have forfeited it for all eternity!" He stopped in his tracks and slowly reached for his weapon hooked behind him. "Elmina is no longer of sound mind; she gave up her conscience and her humanity long ago in the obscure chance her dashing hero would save her from the Darkness. Realizing her hopes would be swallowed up in the wave of Queen Mother's insatiable appetite for chaos, she permanently changed into the one you encountered in Timney…"

Jack flinched at his words, but remained in control of himself. "No…no! I can save her! I will save her! There has to be a cure for her tainted heart!"

"Ahh, is there? Then, what would you be willing to do in order to get this 'cure'? That is to say, if it even exists? Would you be willing to sacrifice your own life to save hers?"

"…I…I won't let her die…" Jack muttered sadly.

"You have no choice unless you are willing to die," the man told him, emphasizing each word. "You have attained courage, but you fear that you aren't powerful enough to defeat Queen Mother. That is what's locking your mind up."

"No," he said. "No, no! Where is she, demon?! Show me to her!"

"Hm-hm-hm-hm…really? Is that true? Well then!"

Without hesitation, and in one lightning-quick move, he leapt far up into the sky, above and over the both of them. He landed on the ground a little ways away, near the town's exit. "Lucied! Come!" the man sternly ordered, preparing to leave the two adventurers standing by themselves. Lucied emitted a loud howl and galloped over to his side, passing Jack.

"Hey!" Cecilia exclaimed. "Mother was here, right? I can sense the taint in the land…"

"Follow if you wish to know the truth then," he told her. "What lies in the forest southeast of this town may guide you down the path to truth. What you seek is with the legend of the Elw…"

With those words, both beings made a silent exit. A few minutes passed in silence before Jack placed his blade back in its hard leather sheath and spit on the ground in disgust. "Damnit! You…"

"Jack…" Cecilia softly said, her head hung in confusion. "Should we? You know it's a trap."

"We have no choice! Elmina's with that monster…with her AND Rudy! I'm not leaving her behind any longer!"

"!!!" She suddenly brought her head up to meet his eyes. "No, y-y-you can't mean that you'll…"

"Cecilia, you know what we're gonna have to do eventually. The fate of the world is at stake here, and you're letting your blasted emotions get in the way of what you need to do!" He hesitated for a moment, but stepped toward her soon after. "You know what we have to do. I refuse to let anyone else die if I can stop it! So…let's just get this over with."

With those words, he left to follow after the enigmatic person who had since left their presence. Cecilia begrudgingly followed, tears welling up…feeling how his words stung painfully in her chest and heart. Rudy would most likely get in their way again when they found Mother, and she would have to put an end to his life. This foul reality was not what she wanted, yet it had to be done in order to protect the world. Becoming a woman requires you to make painful choices, as she remembered Anje telling her before she left the Curan Abbey on her birthday. 'You will gain friends in acquaintances throughout your natural life, yet lose others you hold most dear to you. Loss is a sorely painful emotion, but love is what keeps the heart in motion. Do not fall prey to destitution…'

Yes. She lost her father, her subjects and now…this. This is the price of humanity, and the price for having emotions.

She briefly wished she "weren't human", like the one she loved so.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jack and Cecilia had a hard time keeping up with those two mysterious forces leading them to their destiny. A torrential downpour had begun, seemingly appearing out of nowhere as they drew nearer to their next destination. Thunder boomed overhead as nearby trees swayed in the gusty wind and wildlife ran for cover from the storm. The two were already tired, as they had not had a rest since before they arrived at Rosetta, and they wondered when they would reach wherever it is this silent brute was guiding them towards. But with perseverance of mind and body they would make it there safely in less than a day.

Within the southwestern forest slept a serene, widened garden of flowers and amber light; a world where the enveloping darkness of the night sky could not reach. Lucied and its master moved on deeper inside, not even bothering to address the two warriors. As they followed them further in, four sculpted pillars appeared in the distance. Once they had reached the end of the path, all that stood before them was a raised platform surrounded by these pillars.

Along with someone in red collapsed off to the side, that is.

"Miss, are you… …!" Cecilia said, expressing shock as she turned the girl over. The injured girl was lying in a large pool of her own blood, gasping for air.

"What in the hell?" Jack angrily asked to no one in particular as he moved forward to examine her. "Cecilia, the magic. The magic!

"N-No…no, you can…not do that," the girl struggled to say. "Please go…before they~~"

"Shh, save your strength," Cecilia implored her, her eyes filled with sadness. "Please, this will help you. Don't die, please!"

"No…the wound…is too…deep. I am destined…to die here. It is…as the "Great Devourer" predicted."

"Great Devourer?" Jack thought out loud. "…Mother? She was here?"

"A-Aah…my family and my clan are…not safe. That one which…devours all and her knight…will be the ruin of…of…"

"C'mon Cecilia," Jack barked. "You're the only one who can help her!"

"She can't be helped; she is fated to die here," the black-clad man said stoically. "Do as the will of nature demands and leave her to perish."

"Shut up!" he yelled back at him, almost instantaneously. "Goddamn, what do you know?" 

"No, he is…right. Unfortunately, for the planet to be burdened under the threat of the Queen Mother again…I cannot go back. I cannot." A sole tear ran down the anguish-filled face of the tanned girl, as everyone secretly knew her situation could not be remedied. Here, yet another innocent bystander lay under the looming hand of death; a cruel sacrifice to attain entry into power yet again. "Girl. Servant to the ultimate powers-that-be of this beautiful world," she said in a strained, weak voice, gazing up into the sky-blue eyes of the burdened sorceress. A partial smile appeared on her blood-stained face, almost as if a great weight were lifted from her. "If you ever meet my brother…Vassim, in the next dimension…tell him that 'Little Sis Mariel' did proper to service the patrons of this planet. Tell him that his adoring sibling is able to rest peacefully with reassurance of hope for the future…"

Cecilia, with Jack rocking back and firth beside her in concern, watched as the final thread of life within the gravely injured Elw frayed and split in twain. She went slack as the glimmer in her almond-shaped brown eyes faded forever from this world.

"No. No, no, no!" Cecilia sobbed in terror, lightly shaking Mariel in the remote hopes of reviving her. "By the Guardians! What does Mother want so badly that she would do this to someone so young?! Why, Jack? Why?" Her lifeless body faded from her arms and disappeared into the skies in glimmering balls of pure light…a sign that she would rest in comfort and peace of her wishes being fulfilled. "Mariel…" she softly uttered, throwing herself into Jack's arms for comfort. He willingly accepted, as he was saddened by the loss to. Even though he just met her fleetingly, he could automatically tell of her kind spirit and her love for this planet.

"Cecilia, I'm sorry," he consoled her while standing the both of them up from the ground. "Blast it. Forgive me, Mariel; this is my fault!"

"…My job is finished," their mysterious guide brusquely told them before he turned his back on them and started to depart with his faithful Lucied. "There is no need for monetary payment. The undertaking which you are about to attempt is more than adequate of a purse for myself. All that is ask of you is that you remember the name of Boomerang, the hunter which aided you in your journey."

"Oh, leaving already?" Jack quickly asked him, letting Cecilia go. "I would think you would be so cold as to see us die like this girl here, Mr. Boomerang!"

Boomerang stopped sharp at those words and turned around to meet his gaze. Even though Jack was much smaller than him, he wasn't afraid. "I should inform you that I am only as cold as those who hire me," he replied calmly. "That girl understood what her purpose was, as she most likely fell into the boy's blade purposefully in order to make way for the 'heroes.' That boy told her--and I as well--before they left that 'heroes' would arrive soon, to put Mother in her grave again; this time permanently." Boomerang pointed and approached the both of them while continuing on, but not menacingly as before in Rosetta. "That machine which you stand before is a portal to her artificial home which Mother wanted access to. The boy had to play along in order to not raise suspicion; right now he has probably made good on his promise by becoming turncoat on her while his sanity holds steady."

"What?" Cecilia asked him, obviously not knowing what he meant. "Sanity?"

"That boy represents two contrasting sides of the same coin. The destructive, twisted side of him surfaces whenever the human, compassionate side is exhausted, and vice versa. They are sovereign influences, but are linked in a co-dominant relationship. One is dormant while the other is active, and they both retain full consciousness as the other operates. They cannot live without one another."

"He's insane?" Jack asked in disbelief. "Split personalities? C'mon, you can't expect me to believe this cock and bull!"

  
"Oh?" Boomerang countered. "…He and that woman are alike in more ways than one; puppets in servitude to an infinite appetite. Harken--or should I say 'Elmina'-- and the boy act as if they have no free will. This is true, but is still not representative of the entire situation." After saying that, he backed off again and prepared to leave. "It is your choice what you will do with him. If you let him live, he will definitely go insane again. If you choose to fight him, you must kill him so that he doesn't kill again. The choice is up to you."

"Huh? Wait a minute~~!" Jack ordered him.

"That is all I can tell you," he interrupted. "I would be quite remiss if I did not warn you of the repercussions of your choices from hereon out." Boomerang walked away with Lucied, leaving Jack and Cecilia standing confounded in front of the stone dais. "I also have a tiny shred of hope that you will defeat Mother."

With that, the wolf and its master swiftly slipped away into the depths of the forest, out of sight of the two heroes. They knew the truth now, or at least what Boomerang had told them. Rudy's mind had been split into two entirely different entities for reasons unbeknownst to them, and that evil was likely what caused him to kill everyone in Saint Centour, Port Timney and the like. He was under the direct control of Mother and helped invade Aldehyde a second time while like this. But if his words were true, then right now he would most likely be battling against her in order to stop her. Could this ultimately be true? Is he friend or foe to the cause of saving Filgaia from Mother's appetite?

In all actuality, they weren't too sure his word could be taken as truth, or reliable for that matter. But…didn't it mean something to be 'human'?

"Hey, Jack…" Hanpan asked him, scurrying out of his coat pocket onto his shoulder. "If Rudy is really like that, then I couldn't imagine killing him. Could there be a way to save him, like her?"

"Who knows?" was all he said in reply.

Wasting no time after this little revelation, Jack and Cecilia respectively hoping beyond hope that neither Elmina or Rudy were dead, the both of them proceeded onto the gate platform behind them and disappeared in a flow of bright light. Their final destination: the Elw Dimension.

~~~~~~~~~~

An artificial realm in which a different race exists. Upon a miniscule green landmass existing in limbo…those who owned the lands in ancient days retreated to this place and furthered their research into grand machinery infused with magical qualities. The Elw Dimension, where dreams could come true.

"Mother, you want 'that' so badly?" Rudy told himself in his own mind as he drew a sword and stealthily ran toward her from behind. His mind flipped and quivered with fear at what he was about to do. "This, the machine that the Elw can use to control the Ultimate Guardian? You want to destroy this world too, like you did Hiades!"

Another town was currently under assault. Tarjon, a rural Elw village, had been decimated by the influences of Mother. She consumed nearly all of the Elw into her slimy stomach beneath the shell she called a body, and would not stop until she found the man who built the prototype. Mother was in the middle of the town, sweeping people up and directly placing them into a hungry opening in her stomach. "I'll release 'you' for all to see!"

Rudy leapt high into the air behind the Demon Queen, sword overhead clutched in both hands. In one lightning-quick slice, his blade carved a long, deep gash through her arched back. Mother emitted a sharp cry that penetrated the four corners of the artificial space as he landed on the ground behind her. The floating menace's porcelain visage immediately froze into a state of shock as the purple slime contained within her synthetic flesh spilled out of the large gash formed in a torrential gush. Body after body of undigested human and Elw remains spilled out as well, entrenched under the surface of the large slime packet. Rudy tried to retreat from the wave of slime oncoming, yet found himself hooked to a large pseudopod connected to the larger mass that reflexively grabbed at his leg.

"M-My…s-son. You betrayed m-me. My tr-true son…" the slime cried, speaking into his mind directly while inching toward his prone body. Rudy slashed at the material around his leg, revealing it to be quite durable. "Do n-not hurt…your m-mother. You cannot harm your…"

"Get away from me," Rudy cried, struggling to release himself. But it seemed futile.

"Become…a part…me, my child. I love…child. Be…part of m-me, child."

"No…no, get away!" he uttered after breaking the sword on the slime's outer shell. He looked around at the undigested remains of her other meals and saw legions of human and Elw bodies continuing to surface from the slime that was Mother. He knew at that moment he would not live to see another day. "All of your victims, and my victims have massed here before me. You want to devour me."

"Yes…you l-love…mother."

He screamed in horror as the slimy mass screeched overhead his form. Then…

Black. Sheer black.

His demise, in one quick maneuver. Whole was he devoured as he sat paralyzed, enveloping him into its insides, making him into a nameless victim along with the rest of the victims. First he felt the mass envelop him, then the numbness…then immediate nothingness.

"Mine forever. A p-part…me, forever.

~~~~~~~~~~

.

.

"?" [Consciousness? But, I should be~~]

"Are you all right?" a concerned female voice asked, interrupting his thought flow.

"…"

"I hoped beyond hope that you would still be alive. So…"

"Your voice. It is familiar."

"Well, yes. Can you see me?"

"…No. My eyes. They do not work anymore."

"How ghastly. The queen of the Demons ate all of these people?" a high-pitched, mousy voice spoke into his left side. "Aah, your legs…this is terrible."

"Mmph, I-I know that voice. At least, I think I know. But…"

"Rudy…" the female voice solemnly said. "After everything, please do not die. Vassim here…maybe he could find a way to help you get fixed. My magic does not work on machines."

"…" Now he knew who it was. "Princess Cecilia," he strained to say. "I should not be allowed to live. Remember~~"

"Shhh. Your injury has made you weakened."

"Mmmph, it feels numb," Rudy said. "It is fitting that all I can see is darkness, because it is what I worked for. Poetic." He sat silent for a few minutes, then began to speak again. Her voice…he needed to hear it again. "Cecilia. Is the injury so horrible?"

"You look shredded," a gravelly voice said aloud. That must've been Jack. "You're not who you say you are. You're not human, after all."

"I deserve no pity for my actions, but only a quick death. What have I done to this land? To the people who work and cultivate the soil…? I…sacrificed them all! For what? Power? Comfort?"

"Rudy, how could you do those things?" she asked him, staring into his nonfunctional, glassy eyes. "What happened? You aren't yourself? Please, tell me! Maybe Vassim can fix you!"

"Aah," the beaten youth groaned in pain. "Cecilia, before I die here on this foreign land, I'd like to…"

Rudy found himself reaching up to touch her face with his left hand. He felt along her arm, slowly moving up to where he thought her cheek was. It was nice to be around humans again after committing so many atrocities in the name of Demonhood. Perhaps a sentiment of respite filled his mechanical heart as he felt a slight wetness on one of his fingers, followed by a different hand reaching to his cheek. It was soft and warm…Cecilia's hand. It felt good.

"Reach into my pouch," he asked her. "On my left side. You should find the Tear Drop they--we--took from Aldehyde."

Indeed, the vessel of the Guardians' nourishment was there. A soft glow filled her palm as she pulled the tiny jewel from within. It bathed her face in a warm blue light, and brought a smile to Rudy's face as he realized her journey would now officially end now that she had it in her possession.

"Now, bring your Tear Drop to my forehead to…break this accursed cage."

"…Rudy, what is~~"

"I retained consciousness because of you," he weakly muttered as she slowly guided the Tear Drop to his forehead to release the object confining him. A soft, purple circle of light began to pulse, and a flawed jewel surfaced and shattered under the skin.

"W-What is this?" Cecilia asked him. "It feels like~~"

"This abomination? The Darkness Tear…fractured due to excessive power output after the summoning of the Fire Guardian and partially broke the stream of their manipulation of my body. This is what did everything, Cecilia. I was but a mere puppet, bending to their every whim and demand. And even though I saw everything, I did not disobey them. I…I…"

"Do not say anymore Rudy," the girl cried. "I know, I know. I forgive you for everything." She hugged his weakened body tightly to hers. "I couldn't possibly know what you were. Just…don't say anymore."

"I had…hoped you would come to defeat Mother in time, before the Elw village was devoured. I sacrificed my life to kill her. But, it looks like my life is over."

"What?" Jack butted in, kneeling close to Cecilia. "All the things that happened were because you were being controlled?"

Rudy managed to shift his eyes over to his position. "It's no excuse. I know. Even Elmina had the same problems."

Jack stood again after her said her name and brought a frail-looking woman with waist-length red hair close to him. "Elmina. So that's why you hid her away from the village. You…saved her."

"At the cost…of my life," Rudy quickly interjected. He coughed up a purple-colored liquid as Cecilia wiped it away with her hand. "As long as she is safe, I did something good."

"Rudy…" Cecilia cried, hugging him again.

The young man's gasps of air began to get heavier. Everyone knew that death was imminent. Even so, Cecilia felt something strange within her. An image of a beautiful, singing woman clothed in white robes holding a newborn baby appeared in her mind; her smile warming her soul and comforting her in this time of sorrow. The image in Cecilia's mind brought a sense of relaxation and a feeling of tenderness to her heart. She managed a tense smile of compassion as she held and gazed at the beaten man in her arms. A single tear ran down her cheek caused by the sudden torrent of relief the coursed throughout her body and soul. Pulling away from him to allow him to breathe, Cecilia looked down at him one more.

"Cecilia," Rudy said through labored breath as he closed his eyes, anticipating the end. "Be a great ruler. Make your subjects proud. Deliver tranquility and everlasting prosperity unto the kingdom. You have what it takes to be a pillar of respect to the people of the world, and to mend the broken spirits who have been thrust into terror. You can do it, and you will do it because…I believe in you. But most importantly…remember the better times…we had. I'll…love you even in…"

A long silence ensued as Rudy's body went slack in her arms. Jack looked on in disbelief at the demise, shaking his head as to make it all go away. Elmina hugged closer to him and sobbed silently, realizing her own pain he endured was identical to his. She felt as if a member of her family were torn from her. Vassim kneeled behind brought his hand to Cecilia's shoulder to comfort her. But she didn't cry or flinch. Her smile remained because she knew that his torture had ceased. The prison Rudy Roughnight had been confined to have its door flung opened, and now he could rest in peace. A light wind blew in from the west, as to signal and memorialize this tragic loss of life between friends. 

"I always love you," the girl whispered to the wind. "Always. Rest well."  
  
  
  


  



	10. Epilogue: At a Sacrifice xxHopexx

Epilogue: At a Sacrifice -Hope-  


  


  


  


Nearly one month had passed since the second raid on Aldehyde. The people had been invigorated by Princess Cecilia's safe return from locales unknown, and by her successful retrieval of the Tear Drop. Life was still unbalanced, but slowly on its way back to normal as everyone pitched in to help rebuild the city from the fire's destructive wave.

She had decided. She was going to ascend to the throne to lead the people. Finally, a kingdom with regality as its beacon of leadership. As one who has felt the heat of battle, that fluttering 'Dream Chaser' within her heart seemed impossible to tame. Yet, she knew that everyone needed her to guide them. Selfless as ever, she had no problems placing others before her own desires. Not because she was royalty, but because it gave her happiness to give others happiness.

The coronation ceremony had been whipped together in a whirlwind meeting of ministers, but went off without a hitch. Now, people referred to her as 'Queen' instead of 'Princess' on the streets. Jack and Elmina had attended, as they had stayed in the kingdom to attend to her health. Vassim, the last Elw in Filgaia, traveled with them to monitor her health. After learning of his sister Mariel's fate, he had consigned himself to spread the word and history of his people's plight. People came to realize the truth within the battle between good and evil--the Guardian War--and what enlightenment it offered to them. Legends became history; myths and rumors became written fact under his word. The Elw race was extinct, but its history will live on in Human's documents. Technology will advance and the world will become a better place to live.

The three of them left the kingdom soon after, disappearing into the world for parts unknown.

Yes, they all attended the ceremony. Cecilia felt relieved to see their faces in the crowd. That memory of her friends, allies and subjects looking up to her, chanting words of praise after the crown had been placed on her head filled her with hope. She was going to be their beacon of 'hope'.

'Queen' Cecilia, ruler of Aldehyde Kingdom. Very different, but very comfortable.

~~~~~~~~~~

One month later, after the fanfare of ascension. Life seemed good.

The morning sun peeked over the horizon, shining soft sunlight through white curtains into the Queen's room through the portico doorway. Cecilia rose from her bed with a stretch and a yawn; her eyes adjusting to the yellow light beaming into the room. A warm breeze blew past the curtains, beckoning her to come out. Brushing back the curtains, she walked outside in her white silk sleeping gown to get some fresh air.

It was a very beautiful scene. Through her adventures, she had never taken time to sit down and really observe the beauty of nature around her. The crisp air seemed invigorating to push out her lethargic state. The burnt-colored sun lit up the sky in varying colors of tan and yellow, emphasizing the clouds slowly moving along overhead. All of it brought a smile to her face as she realized that this truly was her world. Nothing could take this beauty from her and the people. She would never let go without a fight, because everything and everyone she loved was here.

"Oh great world full of splendor, " she said while staring into the sun. "If need be, I would take up arms for you a thousand times over in order to protect you. You and the Guardians, who make this all possible for us. We now know that it is important to live for the future; to live for tomorrow and the next day. Our regrets shall not hinder us, nor shall our times of pain and sadness…because we understand. Our humanity gives us the hope to live for the future. And whenever my people suffer, I will help them to find that hope." Cecilia paused for a few seconds to realize what she had said. It all came out so suddenly…it really surprised her that she would say that. But, she believed it. Every word. For herself, for her friends and subjects, and…for 'him', she would honor that word.

"Rudy, I…miss you so much," she said, holding her head up high and smiling. She brought her hands clasped to her chest. "Somewhere out there, you're watching. I will not let your sacrifice be in vain. I'll even bring hope to the people in your name. Watch me from the heavens, Rudy. And wait for me up there."

Taking in a breath of fresh air, she felt renewed. A faint image of a sleek, graceful beast appeared before her, its wings spread and gliding through the open skies. Cecilia looked on, watching it fly over her castle and fade into the distance. She felt more energetic than she had ever felt in her life at that moment. It was almost supernatural.

"Rudy!" she yelled into the wind. "Watch me! I'll give the people hope…in your name!"

Her smile widening, she began to laugh and go back into her room to prepare for the day ahead. Not at herself for being inexplicably happy, but at her renewed sense of purpose. Her day as a queen was beginning anew; her duties waiting in the form of a slight gaudy golden chair. But, it wasn't that which made her Queen.

The power to give people 'hope'. The power to lead the people into the future. The power to be strong under unrelenting opposition and to protect that which you love. That's what it meant to her.  


  


  
  
  
  



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